


All Change

by Beecharmer



Category: Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Enid Blyton, Famous Five - Enid Blyton
Genre: Character Death, Childrens Books, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Daft, F/F, F/M, Gen, Not To Be Taken Too Seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-16 21:19:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 83,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/866713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beecharmer/pseuds/Beecharmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daft saga covering relationships and lives of various Enid Blyton and Chalet School Characters. Was orginally written as a Chalet School story, but was hijacked by Enid Blyton characters. Written a few years ago, will take a while to repost, complete story posted on Sally Denny Library under All Change (Reorganised). http://www.sallydennylibrary.co.uk/viewstory.php?sid=81</p><p> This may go into more detail of Enid Blyton parts than the original did. There are many children's book cameos not listed in character list, but will in general be about the people listed there. Meant to be taken in good humour, intentionally daft in parts but does have sad parts, and melodramatic ones too. The characters in first chapter are all around 16, 17, 18</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Young Adventurers Conference

1947

George Kirren and her cousins Julian, Dick and Anne sat in the car, thoroughly bored with the journey. 

"I still think it's a stupid idea," muttered George. "It'll just be another excuse for the press to try to catch us out in a lie about our adventures, and it's getting really boring. "

Julian ignored her, his nose in a book. He had listened to and responded to this grumble for the first few times, but George was just getting annoying now. 

Dick, who was just as grumpy as George about being stuck in the car, gave a groan. "Will you GIVE IT A REST" he growled. "We’re going now, whether you like it or not. "

George subsided briefly, then began to mutter again. 

"Young Adventures Conference, huh... Like they can tell us anything, we don't need adults telling us how to do things...stupid name too, sounds like a mountain animal,YAC, stupid name for a stupid conference..." 

Anne had had enough. 

"GEORGE !!! If you don't shut up I am going to get the driver to stop the car and you can just GET OUT AND WALK. And without Timmy too, there's no reason that he should suffer for you acting like a three year old!"

Everyone looked up at this most Un-Anne-like comment. She glared around at them all. 

"Yes, I have a limit! And you have just passed it, so SHUT UP!!"

Everyone went very quiet in the car, even Timmy moving from having his head out of the window to lie himself down by George's feet.

Anne sat in silence herself, fuming. She was going to kill Dinah Mannering when she saw her.

** 

Dinah was herself sitting on a train with Jack, Phillip and Lucy Ann. She was happily planning her surprise for George, and was completely unaware of the stress she was causing Anne. She had sworn the younger girl to secrecy, and pretended to George that the conference was a stupid idea, and that she wouldn't be going. 

This was one of the reasons that George was so grumpy, since she had been looking forward to a whole weekend with Dinah without school or parental supervision. They had only got together fairly recently, and time at their boarding school was generally supervised or limited. 

Lucy Ann looked over at Dinah and sighed. She didn't look likely to be spending much time with Dinah this weekend, from the dreamy look on Dinah's face. Normally she wouldn't mind Dinah's plan to switch so she could share with George. It would at least mean that she could spend some time with Anne instead.

But Anne was herself newly enamoured of a childhood friend, Guy Seymour, and all term Lucy Ann had been polite about his picture, and talked about when they might get married so many times, that it was beginning to become very hard not to snap at Anne. 

Lucy Ann looked out of the train window moodily, thinking about how annoying it was having everyone trying to pair up all the time at the moment. Even Jack and Phillip had taken to sneaking out to see two girls they had met in the village, coming back in the middle of the night and waking her up when they clumsily climbed in the bathroom window. 

**

 

In a different carriage, Mike, Jack, Peggy and Nora Arnold were sitting happily chatting together. Prince Paul had had to return to his own country for the holidays, otherwise he would have been there too. Making the most of his absence, Peggy was affectionately teasing Nora about Paul. Nora was studiously ignoring her, while her bright red face showed that the words were hitting home. Having been friends for years, they had suddenly started to become shy around each other, and Peggy was pretty sure that she could see a romance beginning to develop. Nora was doing her best not to be drawn into telling anyone anything. 

Mike and Jack were good-naturedly joining in with the teasing, until Jack saw that Nora was starting to take them a bit too seriously and told the others to stop. He changed the subject and Nora was able to drop back into her own thoughts for a bit. 

**

 

Frederick Algernon Trottville, called Fatty by his friends, looked around at the other Five Find Outers. 

"Now this is our opportunity to find out some good detection and mystery solving techniques" he announced slightly pompously. "And I am sure that we will be able to pass on some of our own skills as well. We must surely have had more adventures than most of the people there...” 

Larry, Pip, Daisy and Bets all just nodded. To be honest, thought Larry, he really wasn't interested in detection skills anymore. It was only because the others had wanted to go so strongly, and the only way Pip and Bets would have been allowed to go was if Larry was there too to supervise. Larry thought moodily about all the work he still needed to get done for exams, and tried not to show on his face how little he wanted to be there. 

 

\-------------------------------

 

YOUNG ADVENTURER’S CONFERENCE

 

The conference began with an opening speech by Inspector Jenks, then some questions from the press. 

"What do you have to say to the accusations that you are using these groups of children as a front for sting operations and police malpractice?" asked one reporter. 

"No comment, the conference is about building skills and sharing information, I will not discuss any of the allegations, you can contact the police press office for any further information." said Inspector Jenks.

"How is this conference being funded, surely you are not spending public money in giving some attention seeking teenagers a free holiday?" asked the next reporter. 

Inspector Jenks replied in steely tones. 

"The conference is funded by a budget that is less than 1 % of the money each of these groups have saved the police over the past few years."

"Ah, so you are using public funds?" persisted the journalist.

Sitting in the audience, George rolled her eyes at the same tired old questions. She sat sulkily, waiting for the inevitable "Surely these children should be prosecuted for repeated breaking and entering, not to mention recurrently setting Timmy the dog onto members of the public." 

She held onto Timmy firmly. One national newspaper, owned by the brother of one of the criminals that they had caught, had started a national campaign recently to have Timmy taken away from her, suggesting he was dangerous and aggressive. She couldn’t help worrying that they might succeed. 

Finally the press conference was over, and they filed into the conference hall. George looked at her itinerary and groaned at how much there was to get through. 

The first speaker, a short bespectacled man in a green coat and round green bowler hat, began his talk. His assistants in the demonstrations were a young journalist with reddish hair and a tuft sticking up at the front, and a tall man with a black beard and wearing a naval captain's hat. They seemed to be mainly occupied in making sure that the Professor's inventions did not manage to leave the stage and harm anyone. George wondered vaguely whether the young journalist was a relative of Phillip and Dinah, with that tuft of stubborn hair on the top of his head. Looking at the itinerary again she saw that he was French, so it didn't seem that likely. 

With a thrill of recognition, she heard a voice from someone behind whisper in her ear. "Hello there, fancy meeting you here..."

**

Dinah leant over George's shoulder, making the hair on the back if her neck stand on end at how close she was to her. 

"This one is a waste of time, like we ever needed inventions on any of our adventures. Coil of rope and a tin opener, thats all we ever needed. And some rugs where possible.... And the one after is just some old authoress. What do you say to coming to check out our room ?"

George was quite happy to do this. They made their excuses and left, Lucy Ann and Anne making " so what is new" faces to each other, while Julian looked after them with a vaguely puzzled expression.

**

 

Young Adventures Conference 1947

Schedule of events. 

Day 1

9.00 to 9.15  
Welcome to conference, collection of name badges, general registration. 

9.15 to 9.45  
Press Conference & Opening statements. Speaker: Chief Inspector Jenks. 

9.45 to 10.45  
The use of Inventions in Investigation, Crime fighting and Treasure discovery. Speaker Professor Calculus, Marlinspike Research Laboratory. Assisting Prof Calculus will be Monsieur Tintin and Captain Haddock. 

# Please can all participants make sure that they have signed the Health and Safety Waiver, and wear the safety spectacles provided at all times during this talk. # 

10.45 to 11.00  
Break. Refreshments will be available in the lobby.  
#Please do not use this break as an opportunity for smoking, there may still be some fumes left over from Professor Calculus's talk. Thank you#

11.00 to 11.45  
How my fictional characters are based on real life adventures experienced by myself, friends or family. - Adventure writing and how to make a living from your memoirs without being sued. Josephine Bettany, author of such books as Nancy meets a Nazi. 

11.45 to 12.30  
Ensuring that you do not risk prosecution with your investigative actions. Carson Drew, US Attorney. Assisted in presentation of case studies by Miss N Drew, B Marvin and G. Fayne. 

12.30 to 1.30  
Lunch. Refreshments will be provided. May we ask that all companion animals be kept under control at all times. 

1.30 to 3.45  
Career paths for young adventurers as adults. Selection of workshops provided by the following:-

\-- Fenton Hardy - Private Detective

\-- Chief Inspector Jenks, Metropolitan police

\-- Josephine Bettany, Author

\-- Bill Cunningham, Special Services

\-- Chief Inspector Japp, Scotland Yard. 

\-- Monsieur Tintin, Journalist.

Please note: This portion us compulsory and attendance will be noted. You will be split into small groups for these sessions. 

Please can all participants be respectful of these persons, even if your experience with their colleagues has not always been a positive one. They are here for your benefit.

3.45 - 4.30  
Question and Answer session with the above mentioned persons. 

4.40  
Close. Social events arranged for the evening, please see noticeboard in hotel for details. 

**

 

Lucy Ann escaped the stuffy conference hall for a break. Seeing that Anne seemed to be well occupied with showing Guy's picture to some of the American young adventurers, she made her way out into the garden for a breath of fresh air. 

"Bit much, that lecture wasnt it," came a voice from her left. She turned to see a friendly boy with spectacles and a cheery smile. He was also one of the American delegates. 

"Hi, I'm Bob Andrews. From California. I'm one of the Three Investigators?" He said, handing her a card with three question marks on it. She looked at it and said "Oh. That's nice" and put the card in her pocket. 

Bob grinned. "Finally! Someone who doesn't look at the card and wonder why there are question marks on it! I've always thought it was damn obvious myself. Do you mind if I ask your name?"

"Oh I sorry - Lucy Ann Trent." she said. He looked expectant. When she didn't carry on he said "Of?"

"Of what?" she replied in some confusion. 

He grinned. "Now that’s refreshing too, maam. Nearly everyone here seems to think they are the only ones in the world who have adventures. I was expecting you to give your group name, or what you’re famous for doing. 

Lucy Ann grinned. "No, we aren't famous really, though we do have adventures. I think some people here are famous though. I know the Kirrens are pretty well known, and I think someone said there was someone here who used to be a child actor. Although I have never heard of him, I have to say. 

Bob cracked a huge grin at this. 

"That would be Jupe - Jupiter Jones," he said, pointing to where a stout young man was signing autographs for a gaggle of girls, with no clue that they were only asking for them to have an excuse to stay near his fit and muscled fellow investigator, Pete. Lucy Ann laughed and apologised, Bob instantly saying that it wasn’t necessary, and joking that Jupiter needed a few people not knowing about him every now and again to keep him bearable to be around. 

The bell went to indicate that the break was over. Lucy Ann left Bob reluctantly and headed back to sit with her family and the Kirrens. Bob went back to his friends, getting some good natured teasing from them both about his beautiful red head. He bore the jokes with good humour, deftly turning the conversation away from him by asking about Jupiter’s apparent fan club. He winked over at Lucy Ann when she looked in his direction and was touched to see her blush. She was quite pretty, he thought to himself. 

Across the room, Mike Arnold was trying not to stare too obviously at Lucy Ann. She had been sitting next to him at the press conference, and he had been trying to get up enough courage to approach her all break time. He scowled to see Bob’s wink and went back into the room in a sulky manner that warned his family to keep well away from him.

Back in the lecture theatre a tall lady, with long dark hair put up in 'earphones' at either side of her head, was discussing her adventures and how she had turned them into a source of profit. Her slightly old fashioned and foreign appearance put the young delegates off from the start. Unfortunately one common attribute of young adventurers was a need for action, often physical action, and sitting in a lecture theatre all day listening to adults was a very hard thing for them to do. 

Noticing the general restlessness of the young audience the speaker stopped describing a discovery of some salt caves and called her dog, a huge old St Barnard to her. 

"Now, I can see that plenty of you have animals with you. I want to introduce one of my greatest friends, Rufus" 

The young adventurers stirred up a little at this, and looked at their own pets, who had often been great help and comfort in their adventures. 

Seeing that she had their attention at last, Joey Maynard, nee Bettany, continued the talk, emphasizing how Rufus had protected and helped her or her friends in their adventures. By the time that she reached the serious part of the talk, they were used to listening, and had recognized a kindred spirit in this adult. 

As the talk came to an end, there was a brief break while the next speaker came on stage and set up their presentation materials. George and Dinah slipped back into their seats, with suspiciously wet hair. Luckily for them Julian was distracted by a debate that had started between Jupiter Jones and Freddie Trottville about the best methods of disguise and detection technology. 

Nora Arnold, who was in the row behind, looked at the girls thoughtfully, especially Dinah, who was trying not to react to Phillip pretending he had lost a pet snake under her chair. 

The next lecture began, and the stories of Nancy Drew and her friends kept the momentum going well, although it had to be said that very few of the audience paid much attention to the legal warnings that her father gave them along the way. 

At last it was lunchtime. The young adventurers bounced out of the hall and went in search of refreshments. 

**

 

Mike stood at one side of the room, trying to not be too obvious about looking over at Lucy Ann. Peggy, with a plate full of food, came over to stand with him, and followed the direction of his gaze. 

"She's very nice you know" she said casually. 

"Wha...who ... Er... She is?" said Mike in some confusion. Peggy smiled. "Why don't you go over and talk to her?" she said. 

"She's busy right now," said Mike, indicating Bob Andrews, who had just appeared in front of Lucy Ann with two full plates of food. 

Peggy nodded. "Bob is nice too Mike, we had a good chat at the orientation meeting. I don't think you should let him put you off. Go over there and introduce yourself. Just don't get him onto methods of filing or record keeping!"

Mike just shook his head and went off in a different direction to get some food.

**

 

The afternoon's workshops went well, although Josephine Bettany had had to be called away due to some issues at the school she was involved in. Apparently the only way the problems could be solved would be if she was present despite her having left there more than a decade before. 

The other advisors were very useful however, and Freddie was soon in detailed discussions with Bill Cunningham about how he should prepare for and apply to join the special services. 

Mike had a good discussion with Chief Inspector Jenks about what routes were open to him, which were depressingly few. He had been unlucky enough to be caught trespassing and breaking and entering, without being able to prove that there had been criminals present to justify the actions. Since he had turned 16 when he was caught, the offences were now on his record, and he was already finding career doors closing to him because of it. Chief Jenks was sympathetic, but because of the current media attention, he couldn't risk doing anything to help officially. 

Finally the day was over, and the youngsters were glad to escape into the open air. Dick Kirren and Peggy Arnold let off steam by having a competition to see which of them could walk furthest on their hands, to cheers from many of the delegates. Peggy won by a few feet, then toppled over almost into Freddie Trottville's lap. She apologised with a laugh and he grinned at her, quite pleased by the turn of events. 

His young friend Bets looked briefly sad as he set off for the hotel chattering happily with Peggy, then shook her head, knowing that Fatty wouldn't ever see her as anything more than a type of younger sister. She started up a conversation with some of the American delegates, and was soon happily involved in a discussion with Nancy Drew about how she might work towards setting up her own detective agency. 

The evening wore on. A function room had been taken over for a dance, and the delegates were enjoying some activity after being still all day, a state that was not natural to many of them. 

Julian Kirren had for once let his sense of responsibiity go, and was dancing energetically, if inelegantly, with one of the female American delegates, Bess Marvin. George Kirren and Dinah were again nowhere to be seen, and Anne had also disappeared suspiciously early, after receiving a message from the hotel reception as soon as they entered the hotel. 

Lucy Ann was quite happy however, discussing methods of organising things with Bob Andrews. It was nice to find someone else who was just much happier when things were tidy and organised. He in turn was noticing how beautiful her green eyes were in contrast to her red hair, and enjoying hearing her voice as she chatted. 

 

After the dancing had finished, those who had not dissapeared off into the garden or to their rooms were sitting around in a loose group, discussing their adventures. 

Joe Hardy, one of the American delegates, was trying his best to strike up a conversation with Nora Arnold, but not having much success due to Jack and Mike being protective and never allowing them any time alone. 

Freddie Trotteville and Jack Trent were having a lazy argument about who had had the most and best adventures. Julian looked at Dick in amusement at the small numbers of adventures they were both discussing, and they both resisted the urge to deflate the boastful Freddie with the actual number of their own experiences.

Lucy Ann realised the time, and made her excuses to Bob, after promising to come and sit with him for the following day's events. 

She reached the room she was sharing with Anne, and opened the door. To her surprise Anne was nowhere to be seen. A note attached to her pillow said not to worry, and that Anne would let herself in, and included a plea not to tell anyone that she wasn't there. 

Lucy Ann sighed. She almost wished she had stayed down at the party, but although she liked Bob, they were too similar, and he wasn't someone she could foresee a future with, so she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. It was nice to have a friend to talk to however, especially since Dinah, George and Anne seemed to be determined to make the most of the advantages of minimal parental supervision. 

 

**

Freddie and Peggy had gone for "a walk" in the garden, as the party broke up. They had discovered a lot in common, and had been enjoying spending time together. They discovered a small summerhouse at the end of the hotel gardens, and with a lot of nervous giggling, they let themselves in and locked the door. 

They then became fully occupied in discovering how well they were suited in other ways. For once Freddie was completely uninterested in mystery solving or detection techniques. 

JuIian, Bess and her friend Georgina Fayne were walking together in the garden themselves. Julian absently tried the summerhouse door, found it locked, and they moved on in the direction of the the river and the hotel boathouse. They were all very interested in watercraft, and thought that they ought not to miss the opportunity to check the hotel's boats. 

Anne Kirren was significantly more relaxed than she had been earlier in the day.

**

The following day several bleary eyed young adults gradually made their way over to the conference centre. 

Peggy and Freddie were openly holding hands, and sitting together, to Mike and Jack Arnold's surprise; They had been so busy protecting Nora's virtue, they hadn't even thought about Peggy's. Freddie was bombarded with questions about his intentions and given to understand most clearly that Peggy's brothers meant business if he hurt her. Since he was himself already seriously falling for Peggy, and would have been just as protective of Bets or Daisy who weren't even his sisters, he took it in good part and was eventually able to persuade them that he meant no harm. 

Freed from her brotherly supervision, Nora went to sit with Dinah and George, determined to get to know them better. They were surprised, but welcoming, and the group settled in ready for the day’s lectures.

**

Young Adventurers Conference 1947

Day two

9.30 to 10.15  
Modern detection techniques and how to use them. Demonstrations by Frank and Joe Hardy, Hardy Detective Agency, assisted by Mr Chet Morgan. 

10.15 to 11.00  
Being aware of consequences of breaking up criminal gangs. How to contact your nearest witness protection program and the life changes involved. 

Bill Cunningham, Special services. 

11.00 to 11.15 Break for refreshments. Please keep companion animals under control and do not feed other people's animals without permission. 

11.15 to 12.30

Workshop : Circus Skills, and how to blend into a circus when necessary for concealment or investigation purposes. 

Mr Jimmy and Mrs Lotta Brown. Assisted by Mr Barney Rockingdown and his monkey Miranda. 

Lunch 12.30 to 1.30  
#Please do not feed any of your lunch to the circus animals, unless as agreed with their handlers. #

1.30 to 2.15  
Avoiding being distracted by racial and social stereotypes. Keeping an open mind in your investigations.  
Inspector Japp, Scotland Yard. 

2.15 to 4.30  
Personal experience in adventures workshop. Group discussion to include information from the following delegates about how they made their successful captures and discoveries. 

\- The Kirren Four plus Timmy. (Previously known as the Famous Five, name change due to legal issues still ongoing surrounding actual number of human group members)

\- Trent and Mannering family adventure group. 

\- Five Find Outers, plus dog. 

\- The Three Investigators, California.

Please remember that all of these groups have had media issues and therefore may not be willing to discuss certain subjects. 

4.30  
Conference Close

\----------

 

On the train home, Lucy Ann and Dinah were surprised when Nora appeared in their carriage, followed shyly by Mike. They had a fun journey home, and discovered that Nora and Mike were actually at a school nearby to their own. 

Lucy Ann was pleasantly surprised at how gentle Mike was, and how shy. Her only knowledge of him before was the newspaper reports of him being caught and charged, and then the rather fierce aspect of him protecting Nora and Peggy from admirers. 

Mike was trying hard to think of something clever to say, but failing miserably. He was just happy to be near Lucy Ann, and was himself surprised how modest she was. She had no idea at all how beautiful she was, and laughed off any suggestion of her and Bob being an item. 

Finally the train reached their stop. They said goodbye and went off to their homes. Nora was slightly irritated to still be only on friendly terms with Dinah. Dinah herself was already missing George, and was also a little wary about how obviously Nora was throwing herself at her. It was quite flattering though, and it would be nice to have a new friend nearby now that George was no longer at school, especially one who seemed likely to understand. 

Mike was in a happy daze, clutching a tiny piece of paper with Lucy Ann's telephone number and address. 

 

\------------------------ 

Crabapple Farm  
Sleepyside-on-Hudson  
Hudson River Valley  
New York  
United States

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the inexcusable omnission of my group of young adventurers from your conference. 

The excuse that you were not aware of our organization is not acceptable, since you have included some of our competitors who are no more or less well known than our group. 

We await your reply, and would request that we be notified when you next repeat the conference. At least two of our members wish to start their own detective agency, ( for Future reference this will be the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency) and your courses would be most useful in achieving that aim. 

Yours frustratedly, 

Miss Trixie Belden, co president of the Bob Whites of the glen. 

\-----

Letter attached to the above. 

We the undersigned would like to support Miss Belden in her application for the Bob Whites of the Glen to be considered for inclusion in any future conferences. 

Mr James Winthrop Frayne IIIrd. Co-President, Bob Whites of the Glen Investigation and Adventure group. 

Miss Madeleine Honey Wheeler. Vice President & Secretary of Bob Whites of the Glen. 

Brian Belden, Bob white

Mart Belden, Bob white

Diana "Di" Lynch, Bob white ( petitioning to change name to Bob purple)

Dan Mangan, Bob white

\---------------


	2. 1947 Holidays after Young Adventurers Conference

1947 – Holidays after the Young Adventures conference.

The train pulled into Kirren station. Sitting on a wall just beside the tracks, a small dark teenager was trying to look casual, and as if she was just there by chance. Shifting position continuously, she was also trying very hard to pretend that she hadn't arrived an hour before the train was due, just in case.

She stuck her hands in the pockets of her shorts and whistled as she waited, earning her disapproving looks from a group of women nearby, who were themselves using the excuse of hanging out their washing to get together and chatter over their fences. 

"That's that gypsy girl" she heard one of them say, in a loud enough voice to be meant to have carried. 

"She'll come to no good, you mark my words, they never do" replied another. 

Giving up her resolution to remember her age for the third time that week, Jo turned towards the women and deliberately put her tongue out at them as far as it would go. The sound of them debating her manners in a general cluck of disapproval was drowned out by the long awaited sound of the train further down the tracks. 

 

**

 

Inside the carriage, a group of school girls were chattering and gathering belongings. 

"Our stop next Anne" smiled a boyish looking girl to her companion. 

"You always say that, George; I know full well that we still have at least half an hour. Stop hassling me, I want to finish my book."

George Kirren was about to respond when she noticed a girl at the end of the long carriage motioning to her to come down into the corridor with her. With a stubborn tuft of hair that would not lie down on her head, this girl had a cheeky glint in her eyes that the boyish looking girl found hard to resist. 

"I... Er...I'll be right back Anne, just going to say goodbye to some of the girls." 

Anne looked up in some confusion, then caught sight of the girl with the tuft and rolled her eyes as she watched her cousin Georgina, always known as George, head off down the train trying to look innocent.

"Those two are kidding themselves if they think we don't know what is going on" laughed a small red haired girl sitting next to Anne, also rolling her eyes at Dinah and George's antics. 

This girl had a gentle but determined face which was covered in freckles. Anne, a slight girl with long hair held back by an Alice band, replied in a more irritated tone.

"You may find it funny, Lucy Ann, but you don't have to sleep in the room next door at school. How they haven't been found out yet I don't know. Timmy does a great job standing on guard, so they haven't been caught yet, but I swear they think the walls are soundproofed."

Further down the train, the girl with the tuft of hair looked around her, checked there was no-one in a nearby 1st class compartment, and dragged George in with her, shutting the door to the corridor as she went. 

"Shouldnt we... Mmmffh...shut the...mmmmhhh...outside...Mmmmm...window mmmmh... blind too ? " George tried to say. 

"Who are you worried about seeing us, the sheep?" laughed Dinah, as she pulled George down onto the seat with her. "I have only about twenty minutes before I have to be without you for eight weeks. And with the way our holidays and adventures usually turn out, maybe not even then. I'm not wasting a minute of it on what some sheep might find shocking. There are many more interesting things we can do in twenty minutes. Come here..."

**

Gypsy Jo had given up pretending that she wasn't really there to meet George and Anne, and was standing up on the top of the wall now, happy and excited to be seeing George again. It was only this latest term that Jo had realised how much more she missed George being away at school. George barely noticed her most of the time, but Jo had grown over the past few months, and she was hoping maybe this holiday she could try to get George alone long enough to know if she felt the same way. 

She watched happily as the train pulled past her into the station. 

**

 

A dishevelled George returned to Anne just in time, they left the train and went to get George's dog Timmy from the guards van. He was very glad to be out of his travelling space, and bounded along the platform checking out all of the smells of home. 

Catching the scent of a familiar friend, he headed out of the station and into a thick bush by the side if the road. To the girls’ surprise, Gypsy Jo appeared out from the leaves, realising she couldn’t get away with hiding now that Timmy had found her. She brushed her hand over her tear stained face and, just barely acknowledging their presence, ran away into the woods leaving two very confused school girls looking after her. 

Having no idea that Dinah's impatience had meant that they had been seen by more than just the sheep in the fields, George simply put it down to Jo being moody and headed off along the road to her parents house. 

**

 

"That doesn't sound like Jo" frowned Dick Kirren, a small dark haired young man, as they described the meeting with the little gypsy girl. "She was really looking forward to you two arriving, I can't understand why she would run off like that."

"Oh she's just being moody, she's just a child in many ways" said George dismissively. 

"She's no more a child than we are" replied her cousin Dick. "Don't put her down like that." 

He left the little group and wandered off into the woods, calling for Jo, hoping he might find the young girl and make sure that she was alright. Unfortunately Jo was too good at hiding her tracks, and he had to give up and return to the house as it got too dark to see, never realising that Jo was watching him from a tree only 20 yards away. 

**

George dug a hole in the sand and settled down to eat her ice. She gave Timmy his ice, which he swallowed in one big gulp, and pushed him away from her side a little.

"Get away a bit Tim, it's too hot to have you breathing all over me."

Beside her Dick and Anne were lying back on the sand having a lazy argument about whose turn it was to go and wake Julian. 

Having just finished a strenuous term with some very nasty exams, he had taken to staying in bed until at least midday now that he was on holiday. Waking him before then was an occupation that was hazardous to the health. 

Suddenly Timmy lifted his head up and bounded off towards the road. George lifted her head, saw him greet Jo, and laid back down again, assuming that she would either join them or not, and with the casual self absorption of youth, not caring very much either way. 

Dick, however, followed the girl with his eyes and saw that she wasn't heading towards them any more, having obviously caught sight of the group on the sand. He jumped up and hurried after her. 

"Hie ! Jo! Wait for me, we haven't seen you all week, what is going on?" 

Jo contemplated running off into the trees again, but something in Dick's voice stopped her. Dick had always been kind to her, even when all they knew about her showed her be a little thief, and most of the others had assumed she would never be any good. 

"Phew! Let me catch my breath." he puffed. "You can get a good speed up for a girl!" 

"Ha! I can beat any of you in a race, you know that, girl or no girl" flashed back Jo, before she saw the smile on his face that told her he had been teasing. 

"So what's going on with you? We've barely seen you this holiday. Why are you avoiding us? Is something wrong?" asked Dick.

Jo briefly considered trying to explain. But how could she? After all she was a girl, and George was a girl. And really what had George done that Jo had a right to complain about? George didn't know that Jo had such strong feelings for her, so it wasn't as if she had a right to be angry. Talking to Dick just reminded her how much she missed her friends. She didn't want to lose the friendship of all of them, just because it was so hard to be around George. 

"Can't explain really. Being silly I guess." she replied shortly, not quite able to meet his eye. 

Dick considered the small figure in front of him. He looked over at the girls on the beach and thought about trying to encourage Jo to come back with him to join them. But as he looked back towards Jo again, he saw how she was looking at George, almost with tears in her eyes, and decided perhaps it would be best to take Jo off for a walk first. 

Much as he loved his cousin, she was really struggling with a world that would no longer call her "Master George", and with having to decide what she wanted to do with her life. Anne had told him about Dinah, and he suspected that George was missing her "friend"; She had been quite short with all of them that holiday, and more moody than she had been for years. 

Seeing Jo's look, he wondered if George had been more than usually impatient with the girl and had upset her. Dick thought for a moment, stuck for the best thing to do. He could hardly explain to Jo why George might have been less than friendly to her. 

After all, he wasn’t really supposed to know about Dinah himself, and it had taken him some time to get over his shock at the news. It wasn’t his secret to tell, and for all his defence of her before, he did agree that Jo was in some ways still much younger than the rest of them. It might shock and disgust her, and wouldn't help George. 

"Let's go for a wander shall we? Just the two of us." he said, suiting his actions to his word and setting off along the footpath into the woods. With one last glance back at George, now dozing on the beach, Jo followed him, glad for some friendly company, even if it wasn't exactly who she had wanted to be spending her time with.

** 

Dick leant his head against the train window and let his thoughts wander. More and more he had found himself thinking of the days spent with Jo during the holiday. 

They had spent a lot more time together than they ever had before, and Dick had begun to realise that Jo was actually very good company, and had grown up a lot since he had last been back at Kirren Cottage. Now, as he headed back to school, he was feeling a little lost and apprehensive. School was no longer at all enjoyable to him, and he wished that he could leave.

The fact that he and his cousins had been involved in so many newsworthy events over the past few years had led initially to some hero worship, but later to a certain amount of bad feeling. After a while, his classmates seemed to have come to the conclusion that this many famous and fantastic events seemed unlikely and attention seeking.

He had been baffled when people had kept asking him who in his family worked for the newspapers, before he realised that they were all assuming that at least some of their adventures were fabricated by the papers, and that Julian and he were simply making up a lot of the stories. Ju had always managed to make him feel that it didn't matter, and it had helped that at least one person knew that he wasn’t lying. 

Now he was returning to school for the first time without his brother, Julian having moved on to university, with a view to studying History of Art before hoping to work in a gallery or museum. He had already won some minor prizes for his paintings, but their parents were adamant that he had to have a suitable career, being an artist was too alternative for them to cope with. 

This was the other thing that was worrying Dick. He had never been hugely academic, and he had long ago decided that he wanted to be an actor. The only lessons he could really see any point in were those like English which might help him in his career. 

But if his parents would not help Julian achieve his potential, if they saw being an artist as not respectable enough for their child, there was no way that they would agree to letting him go on the stage at his age, if at all. He had tried and tried to explain that school and he just didn't really mix, but they were adamant that no son of theirs would leave school until he were at least 18, and he knew they had hopes for him possibly moving on to university after that. 

All that he did have to hold onto was that after much discussion, and an honest look at the boy's school reports, they were willing to consider it eventually, if he concentrated on being a Shakespearian actor. That was something that they saw could reflect well upon the family. He knew that he would get on far better if he had their financial support, and if staying in school was the price he had to pay, then he was willing to do so. But he was certainly not looking forward to the coming year. 

The thoughts of his gentle walks and chats with Jo were soothing and somehow helped him cope with the dread that came over him when he allowed himself to think about school without Julian there beside him.


	3. 1947 Cunninham / Mannering / Trent Household (Adventure Series)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know in 1947 use of telephone was less common, but Enid Blyton mentions them quite a bit and these families are well off and connected to Secret Service etc so am leaving the phone conversation in !

1947 - The Cunningham/Mannering/Trent home

Bill Cunningham answered the phone and sighed in exhasperation. 

"Lucy Ann! It's Mike for you again !"

The little red headed figure rushed past him, smiling her thanks, then settled down by the telephone, clearly planning on being there for some time. 

Bill went off into the kitchen grumpily. Mrs Cunningham looked up as he came in. "Now what’s that face all about, Bill?" she asked. 

"Mike" he grunted, sitting down at the table. Allie Cunningham smiled at her husband. He had always been particularly protective of Lucy Ann, and was finding her growing up very hard. 

"What happened to those children who were happy going for walks and investigating things?" he grumbled. "We get letters from Dinah's housemistress about her and George Kirren, then Lucy Ann comes back and spends the whole time talking to this Mike. And if Phillip and Jack wake me up one more time trying to sneak in the bathroom I will make then sleep out in the shed." 

His wife just smiled. "They’re growing up Bill. I wish we could keep them young for longer, but we can't. And Mike isn't so bad."

Bill looked stubborn. 

"I just think she needs to be careful. After all, she doesn't like adventures as much as the others, and he seems to have bad luck too. I'm being charitable, assuming it's bad luck being caught like that, but you just don't know. I've seen a fair few of these young adventurers go bad. I don't want Lucy Ann being dragged into things that might hurt her. I think we need to cool this down a bit."

Allie just laughed and kissed the top of his bald head. She was herself a little worried about Mike, he had quite a reputation after his arrest. But Bill was just quite clearly not coping with his favourite growing up. She changed the subject and Lucy Ann was left in peace to chatter with Mike on the phone. 

**

Dinah stared at the letter in front of her. 

I know what you are Dinah Mannering. You and that George Kirren. And now you and that Nora Arnold. It's wrong and evil, and I will make sure the world knows what you are like. You are sick. You need punishment and I will make sure you get it.” 

She didn't know what to do. She and George had drifted apart, and she was fairly sure George had someone new. She had also got to know Nora more and was fast becoming addicted to her company, although a little part of her was still wary. Nora was a heedless youngster, and once she had Dinah snared, was quite fickle in her affections. Now it seemed someone had been watching them. And that someone wanted to hurt them. 

She wished she knew what to do. 

**

 

Lucy Ann walked down the lane, absently swinging her basket by her side. Every now and then she remembered that she was supposed to be picking blackberries, and did so for a while. But generally she was just enjoying the warm afternoon and daydreaming. 

Suddenly she heard a low whistle. Wary instantly after years of adventure, she dropped the basket and adopted a defensive stance. Bill had insisted after the adventures just kept coming, that they all learn self defense, and Lucy Ann had become very good at various martial arts by now, as several criminals who had tried to use her as a hostage had discovered to their detriment.

To her relief she heard a familiar laugh, and she relaxed. 

"Mike!" she said, " What are you doing here?"

He came out of the bushes. 

" Well your stepfather hasnt been exactly welcoming, so I thought I would surprise you out here instead." Mike said, as he picked up her basket for her. 

Lucy Ann frowned. "Yes, Aunt Allie has been quite awkward about things too. It's not fair, I'm sure it's because I'm the youngest."

Mike held out his hand. "Let's not worry about it now. I want to get some proper time alone with you."

She followed him to a wire fenced off area. She watched him judge when a guard had passed, then was surprised into following when he pulled her into the building with him. A short while later, she was delighted to find him guiding her hands back and forth. She would never have thought when she got up this morning that this would be what she was doing. But she was enjoying herself hugely. 

**

 

Lucy Ann pulled the joystick back and was both thrilled and scared when the plane responded. She looked over to Mike, who had his hands over hers to show her what to do. Below them the tiny fields moved past, the trees just like miniatures, the roads and rivers a beautiful pattern. 

Mike looked at the thrilled girl beside him, green eyes brilliant with the gleam of achievement and wonder flying the plane like this gave her. He was hooked. No one was going to stop him. He had to get a job, show them that he could look after her, that he wasn't a bad character. 

They were back on the ground, wandering along and idly chatting. 

"It's a bit strange in a way, Dinah being with Nora, and you with me." Lucy Ann commented, then saw Mike's expression. "What's wrong Mike?" she said, worried. 

" Well... I don't know what Dinah has told you, but Nora ... She's quite seriously involved with our friend Paul. They’ve been skirting around each other for a while now, and I know for a fact that they are now an item. But I just don't know where that leaves Dinah. Do you know if she knows?" he said.

Lucy Ann shook her head. " She hasn't said anything. Oh, poor Dinah...she really has it bad for Nora, they spend every spare minute together that they can." 

Mike didn't know quite what to say. He almost wished he hadn't said anything, as Lucy Ann unconsciously moved a little away from him, associating him with his sister. 

Damn Nora, he thought. Why couldn't she just make up her mind one way or the other.

**

Bill looked at the pile of letters in front of him. He looked very serious, then as he caught sight of Dinah's face, his expression softened. 

"I'm not angry with you Dinah. I just hate an anonymous letter writer, and these are really nasty, some of the things in these letters. What worries me is that someone is clearly watching you, to know so much."

He made a decision. " Dinah, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. But your studies can't be affected. I think we need to move your school, get you away from this person. Dinah agreed, even though it would take her away from Nora. The way she felt so dependent on Nora worried her, an enforced break could well be a good thing. 

Bill made some calls and arranged everything. He registered Dinah under Lucy Ann and Jack's surname of Trent, and she continued her studies at the new school without interruption, then went on to university to study medicine. 

Gradually she became stronger, saying no when Nora became bored of Prince Paul and his temper tantrums. Nora did love Paul, but was just used to having her own way, and he was away in his own country so often that it was just easy to fall into old habits and be with Dinah. She was just very heedless and really didn't realise what she was doing was hurting her friend. 

Finally Dinah refused to be more than friends, and Prince Paul found out about her cheating on him and refused to see her. Almost too late, Nora realised how much she cared for Paul. She finally convinced him she had made a mistake, and eventually he believed her. 

They married a year later, and to everyone's relief, moved to Killimooin Castle in Paul's native Baronia. Without the on / off Dinah and Nora situation, things stopped being awkward between Dinah and the rest of the Arnold family. 

Which was a good thing, as a short time later Mike took Lucy Ann up in the plane, and there, way up in the sky, he handed her a little box with a ring. Unsurprisingly, she said yes. 

**

 

Bill investigated the notes, and found to his disgust that they had originated with a member of staff at Dinah's school, a Matron Webb.

He wasn’t able to tell the school, since it would just bring everything up for Dinah again. But Matron Webb couldn't help herself, and she quarrelled with the school's headmistress and school board members. Once she had lost that job, Bill made very sure that she would never work in a school again.


	4. 1949 Kirren, Melodrama Abounds!

1949 – Kirren

 

It was holiday time again, and they were all heading back to Kirren Cottage for the break. It wasn't long before Jo showed up in the garden, and an even shorter time before Dick and she had made an excuse to leave and go for a walk over the moors. 

For the first time, Dick really looked at Jo as a girl, rather than as a friend. She was unconventional in looks, but had a strength and energy that was attractive and also a challenge. They spent every hour that they could together, and despite George still showing no interest at all, Jo felt happier than she had for a long time, and found comfort in getting attention from someone she had always admired so much. 

One day, they were exploring around the old deserted cottage on the moors when a storm broke. Waiting for it to break, they watched the lightning and listened to the rain. Suddenly, they realised that they had moved so close together that they could hear each other’s breathing. Dick looked into Jo's face, a question in his eyes, not quite sure how or whether to ask if she felt the same as he did.

Jo, although a small part of her couldn't help wishing it were George there instead of Dick, found herself drawn to the strength of feeling he was showing. She gave the tiniest of nods, and he leant forward and kissed her, gently, tentatively. As they moved closer still, the storm was forgotten, ignored as the rain stopped and rays of sunshine broke through the clouds. 

 

** 

They began to sneak out and meet in the old cottage more and more as time went on, even taking some food and camping equipment there, and cleaning up some of the rooms. 

Wary of the reaction, knowing that his parents would never approve of a gypsy girl with convict parents as a suitable match for him, Dick invented a school friend living across the moors that he was visiting, and told no-one.

Jo was so busy enjoying making the old cottage into a form of home, she accepted him suggesting that they meet there rather than at the house without a second thought.

When Dick went back to school again, she moved almost permanently into the abandoned cottage, working at whatever odd jobs she could get, and happily decorating the rooms one by one, gradually making the place her own. 

 

**

 

George had finally managed to convince her own parents into letting her leave school and begin to learn how to manage the family’s farm. The old farmer and his wife had decided that it was too much for them as they got older and it was unlikely that they would find new tenants willing to come to such an out of the way place.

Never hugely academic, but bright and always willing to work hard, George was doing well, learning from the old couple before they retired. She was happier than she had been for some time, working with her hands and able to spend all day with Timmy. A small part of her was sad to see Anne going off back to school without her, and a bigger part of her missed Dinah. 

But as time went on, with George away from school and Dinah concentrating on her studies, they both came to realise that they were on different paths. While they had enjoyed being together, without the constant exposure to each other’s company that they had had at school, they were drifting apart and happy to go back to just being friends. Although a little sad about this to begin with, George's life had become so busy that she rarely had time to brood on the situation 

At home at Kirren Cottage, things were becoming more and more stressful for George and her mother. Her father had always been forgetful and prone to rages, but now he seemed to be moving further and further from reality. He had taken to deciding that all of the rooms were his, and moving all of his notes and work from one to the other, shouting at anyone who dared disturb him. 

Finally Mrs Kirren had called his brother to ask for help and admitted that Quentin was obviously ill, he just wasn't making sense any more. Thankfully she had always been the one to keep track of the family paperwork and finances, so they were able to transfer such things as were necessary for the family's security into her and George's name. 

The Farm and the island were officially signed over to George, just in case he progressed further into confusion and tried to sell either of them. George had little understanding of what was going on with her father, after all he had always been eccentric, but she signed the papers and was secretly relieved to move out to the farmhouse, having had to share her bedroom with experiments and piles of journals more than once. It was hard to avoid a row, with her father trying to banish her from her room every time she went to get something. 

Looking through the paperwork one day, she noticed that as part of the farm assets, she now owned that old derelict cottage on the moors. Having some rare free time one day, she decided to go for a walk with Timmy to see what kind of state it was in now. 

**

 

"Jo! What are you doing here?" exclaimed George. Jo froze, a paintbrush in her hand.

Unable to think how to reply, she went for the obvious. 

"Painting." she stated, waving the brush up and unintentionally covering Timmy in splatters of paint. 

George laughed. "I can see that! But how long have you been living here? You've made the old place look like a real house, you can't have only just started!"

She looked around the room appreciatively, knowing how many hours of work it must have taken to bring the room to such a cheery state. 

Jo looked wary. 

"Couple of months." she said. "I shouldn’t really have bothered, I just wanted to make it a bit nicer. Guess I'll regret it when whoever owns it comes along and throws me out, but till then it's mine."

George looked at the mobile little face in front of her and glimpsed a view of how vulnerable Jo was, and how much this little collection of rooms meant to her. 

"Well I wouldn't worry too much about that," she said gently. "According to the papers I read last night, I own it, so I'm not planning on throwing you out any time soon." 

She glanced over at the camping stove. "I might have to ask for some rent though"

Jo's face fell and she stepped down from the chair she had been perched on. She could barely afford to provide herself with fuel and food, she would never manage a rent, no matter how small. 

"How about a cup of tea when I come to visit, and maybe some company every now and again?" smiled Ge, glad to be able to do something for her friend, surprised by the feeling of protectiveness that Jo brought out in her. 

Jo's huge smile was answer enough, as she headed to the camp stove and put the water on to boil. George suddenly felt a need to hide her expression as she realised she had actually missed Jo more than she realised. 

"Here," she said gruffly. "Give me that paintbrush, you'll never be able to reach the top, even with that chair."

She busied herself with the paint, while Jo made the tea, then quietly got another brush and began on another wall. A companionable silence fell upon the little cottage.

**

 

Dick sat on his bed and looked down at the crumpled letter in front of him. He read it through again, hardly able to believe his world could come crashing down so suddenly. 

 

Dear Dick, 

I don't know how to tell you this, I'm not good with letters anyway, but I want you to know now, I can't wait until you get back here to tell you. 

I can't be with you any more. I'm sorry, there is someone else, and I was just so flattered that you cared for me, I tried to believe I could love you properly. But I'm sorry, I can't. 

I don't know if we can still be friends, but I really want that if we can. Please don't think too badly of me, I had such a nice time with you. 

I hope you are not too angry,

I'm so sorry,

Jo.

** 

Ge, as George had begun to call herself, had found a few free minutes and was heading to the cottage to see if Jo was there for a chat. 

The past few weeks together had renewed their friendship and they were thoroughly enjoying fixing up the little cottage. As Ge caught sight of the little figure up ahead, waiting for her outside the house, her heart did a sudden flip. Brought to a standstill she realised that it wasn't the project or the company that she was looking forward to, it was seeing Jo. 

She hurried on and managed to get her features under control before she reached Jo. However as she arrived, Jo looked up to see her with such a beatific smile of joy in her arrival, that Ge realised that she wasn't the only one feeling the way their friendship had changed. Without saying anything, she moved towards Jo, held her hand and looked straight into her dark eyes. She obviously saw enough of an answer there, as she then gently led Jo towards the cottage. Jo's eyes widened in surprise, and then her face lit up in sudden understanding as she followed Ge in the door, feeling happier than she had done for years. 

 

**

 

As the weeks went on, they spent every available minute together, Jo gradually doing fewer jobs elsewhere and helping Ge on the farm instead. 

One bright day, they decided to take a break, and went over to the island, taking food and a bone for Timmy. The weather and time had taken their toll, and the castle was now more ruins than rooms. While Ge relaxed on the beach, looking out to sea, Jo was more restless, and spent her time prowling about amongst the stones in the ruins. 

"You know, it would be a lot easier if we could make a store cupboard, or box, we could leave all the heavy things here, and just bring the food." She said to Ge after a while. Ge got up and went to look around the ruins with her. 

"It wouldn't be too hard to do, there are plenty of materials here" Ge said, lifting some of the pieces of stone to check their weight. 

"In fact if we are going to do that, we may as well make it big enough to use for shelter, or if we want to stay here overnight sometimes. That's a good idea Jo, we should do it. I'll work out what tools we need and get started next week."

The hut on the island became a full time project for the girls, and they went over to work on it in any spare moments they had, although the farm was too busy for them to go over as often as they would have liked. 

 

**

 

Jo stared at the doctor. How could this be happening? She had asked him to check again, but both times the tests had shown the same result. She was pregnant. 

Her mind felt as though she were watching the doctor through a fog. Words like adoption, unmarried mother and termination were floating around her, none of them making sense. The doctor gave her some papers to look through and she left the surgery, still feeling as though the world was a long way away, disconnected to her brain and body. 

She avoided the farm the next few days, hiding in the woods when Ge came to the cottage, driving Ge nearly frantic with worry. 

Finally Ge caught sight of her before she had time to escape into the trees, and grabbed hold of her arm, not roughly, but firmly enough to not allow Jo to escape. 

"What's going on Jo, why are you hiding from me?" she asked, searching Jo’s face anxiously with her eyes. 

" You won't, I can't, I'll lose you... I don't know what to do, but I can’t say... it isn't how it looks, it really isn't. "Jo stammered, making no sense at all to Ge.

"I don't understand... please Jo, just tell me." Ge replied, her imagination running wild with all these worrying statements. 

Jo stood for a long time trying to decide what to say. She sat down next to Ge and began to try to explain. Before she got to being able to explain about Dick, and make Ge realise that it had all happened before they had been together, Ge understood that she was pregnant, shook Jo's hand away, and ran off onto the moors, unable to hear any more. Jo just put her head in her hands and cried. Timmy, unsure which girl to go to, finally licked Jo's hand, then chased off after George over the heather.

**

The next few weeks Ge was nowhere to be found. The jobs at the farm seemed to get done, but no one saw her. Finally her mother tracked her down and made her come home with her for something to eat. Once there, Ge broke down and told her mother everything. Mrs Kirrin wasn't surprised about Ge and Jo, she knew her daughter and had long ago realised she was not likely to follow a conventional path. 

Quentin had moved on from Ge's bedroom by now, and was doing his experiments in the pantry, so she sent her daughter up to bed with strict instructions not to come back down until the following day. 

Once she was sure that Ge was sleeping soundly, she put on her coat and set off across the moors to the old cottage. Jo opened the door, her face so pale that Mrs Kirrin almost swept her off straight to the doctor before she remembered that Jo wasn't her child, and had never taken kindly to interference in her life. 

Piece by piece, she dragged the story out of the girl. When Jo had finished, she looked doubtfully at her, and paused for some time before speaking. 

"Are you really sure that Dick is the father Jo? That is a very serious accusation, Jo. We know Dick has always been kind to you, but it really isn't fair to try to use that if it isn't true Jo. I’m sorry, but it just seems very unlikely to me. I can see that if what you say is true, you haven't been seeing some man at the same time as my daughter. But are you really sure it was Dick? I won't tell anyone you tried to burden Dick with this if you want to change your story? I understand this is difficult for you."

Jo's eyes flared in anger. Even Mrs Kirren, caring as she was, still judged her by the youngster she had been, not the adult she had become. "I don't want anything from him. It’s his child though, there’s been no one else." She replied, her voice breaking as she continued. 

"Only George...and it WAS before her, Mrs K, it was. He was so gentle and kind. I thought he knew what he was doing. But I can't get rid of it. It feels too real to me now."

 

Mrs Kirren looked at the girl and both wanted to believe her and for the story not to be true. "Well, if you are sure, we will help you Jo. Come with me now and when she wakes up I’ll help you explain to George. She needs to understand the whole story."

**

 

Ge's head was in a whirl of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She finally understood that Jo hadn't been seeing a man at the same time as her, but to find out that the father was Dick, her own cousin was overwhelming. He was almost her brother in her own mind, and she found it incredibly hard to cope with the fact that he and Jo had been together. 

A family meeting with Dick and his father had been arranged, and Jo was dreading the fact that she would have to face explaining her situation again to potentially unfriendly ears. 

Mrs Kirren wanted Jo to wait to tell Dick in person, but Jo hated the idea of him finding out in such a confrontational way. She had no doubt that Dick would back her story up, after all he had always been kind and honest, and he had loved her, even if the love she could offer him back hadn't been as strong. But Dick's father would be another of these prejudiced adults, and Jo was now almost expecting to be called a liar by any of the older generation, simply because of her history.

**

On the way down in the car with his father, Dick was well away in a self contained world of panic. While his father only knew that they were needed at Kirren Cottage, Jo had managed to use the phone in secret and give him some warning of what was to come. He knew that if this baby really was shown to be his, he had to marry Jo, or at least find a way to support her and the baby. All of his dreams for the future were fading away, as he sat there driving on towards the place that up until now had been the happiest home he had known. 

A tiny worm of doubt began to wind it's way through his thoughts. After all, how could Jo actually know that this baby was his? She had hurt him hugely with her rejection of him for someone else. Where was this other man in the whole picture? He must have lived nearby, and so must surely have been with Jo more than Dick had. After all, Dick had used protection, even woken Julian to get more. 

Who was to say that he was anything to do with this situation. He knew full well that he could never make it as an actor with a young family in tow to support. He could well throw his whole life away for some other man's child, and never really know if it was his. 

**

Mrs Kirren took Jo and Ge aside before her brother in law arrived. 

"George, I want you to know that I love you, and will love you no matter who you love and live with. But I am going to ask you to do something that may be hard."

At this Jo looked scared, sure that she was going to say Ge should stay out of the conversation, go away from the house. She wasn't sure that Ge was supporting her, but she could at least now be in the same room as Jo. It wasn't much, but Jo felt if that were taken away she would just fall apart. 

Ge's mother continued "Your father and his family... They have certain views, and they are all very strong personalities. And ... much as I like and admire your uncle, he is ... very invested... in his and his family's social standing and reputation. I don't want you to have to hide this from the family forever, but I really think we need to keep things to one revelation at a time. If you can girls, please try to keep your relationship out of this discussion. It won't help, and it could make things more difficult."

Both of them agreed. They didn't want to be revealing any more of their lives than they had to. And whether there actually was a relationship any more, was something that neither were at all sure about.

**  
Dick's father stood there impassively while Jo told her faltering story, then turned to his son. 

"Well? Have you really been such a fool as this? "

Dick's courage, such as it was by that time, deserted him. If he admitted that there was the slightest chance that it might be true, his future was gone. He was convinced by now that this child wasn’t his, and Jo was trying to use him to raise her child.

"No." he said. "The baby isn't mine. I'm sorry Jo, but you are going to have to make the real father confess. It's not mine."

The room fell silent. Dick had always been trustworthy, honest and kind. Jo had been caught stealing, drugged Timmy, and her family history was one made up of liars and criminals. 

For one long moment, Jo saw Ge stuck between believing her cousin and believing Jo. Then she seemed to grow taller, get stronger. 

"I don't believe you. I'm sorry Dick, but I cant think why Jo would lie about this. It doesn't make sense" 

As Ge looked around the room, she saw doubt on every face. Dick, now he had taken this course of action, determined to see it through. The child wasn't his, and no one was going to make him admit it. 

"You’re all just judging her, assuming straight away that she is lying.” George said with barely concealed fury. She whirled around to face her cousin “You know the truth, you are being despicable Dick, how can you do this? " 

They all began to shout at once, the family tempers all roused far beyond reason. Finally Ge's rage at the injustice of it all reached a crescendo, and she threw insults right and left at Dick, his father and her own father.

"Georgina ! " thundered her father "How dare you speak to myself and your uncle like that. Go to your room. And you can stay there until you apologise. Timmy will be sent away too, you can't be trusted with a dog if you behave this way." 

Never really stopping to think that this didn't make sense, that it was a sign of her father’s own illness, George flung herself out in fury, dragging Jo along with her. Jo wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but all she could see was that George had just stood against her family for Jo. That meant worlds to the girl, and despite the shock of Dick's behaviour, she was almost happy, since it seemed to have brought George fully believe in her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a joke about toothpaste as contraceptive on the Chalet Bulletin Board at the time this was written, so the reference to waking Julian was for a (now lost) couple of lines where Dick woke Julian to ask for more toothpaste.


	5. 1948 to 1951 ish.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dinah / Nora / Paul situation took a while to resolve, timeline might be a bit iffy here, just assume this is before she married !

1950

The midwife came out of the bedroom and motioned Ge in through the door. She had known her all her life, literally, having helped deliver the young woman sitting before her 19 years earlier. 

It wasn't the most conventional of her cases, but as she looked at the strain on Ge's face, and how her fists clenched every time she had heard Jo cry out, it was clear that arguing about whether Ge was male or female would make her no less an expectant parent than any others the midwife had seen. 

Now the ordeal was over, she sent Ge in to see Jo, with a smile and a gentle push. 

"It's all ok, love, you can go in now. You might have a little surprise though when you get in there."

In the bed Jo lay back on the pillows, exhausted but able to smile at the sight of Ge. She pointed to the basket by the side of the bed. 

"No wonder it took a long time" she said, with a tired smile.

As Ge looked down at the two tiny beings cuddled together in the bassinet, all she could do was reach out and grab Jo's hand, her eyes riveted to the sight of two such perfect little people. She couldn't say a thing, but the way her hand held so tightly to Jo's told the girl everything more than any words ever could. Jo laid back on the pillows and felt able to drift off to sleep, with Ge's strong fingers linked through her own.

 

1951 

"Come on Josie, come on, you are nearly there!" said Ge, holding out her arms towards the tiny toddler. 

With waddling steps, the dark haired little girl let go of the chair and half walked, half fell the few steps into Ge's arms. Ge held her tight and lifted her up high in the air, then mock fell back, holding the little girl tight in a cuddle. She was rewarded with streams of giggles from the little girl, and delighted chuckles from her brother, who crawled towards the pair, anxious not to miss out on this game. 

"See John, Josie can do it, why don't you try?" said Ge, as she extended an arm to join him in to the cuddle. John just looked solemly at her and shook his head, then pulled her shirt and pointed up, showing he wanted to be thrown up in the air too. 

Across the room, Jo watched with a smile on her face. 'Now if only I didn't feel so tired all the time at the moment,' she thought 'this scene would be perfect' . 

Ge looked up, and saw her change to a slightly sad expression. She picked up Josie and lifted her into her mother's lap, before grabbing John and throwing him up in the air, and back down for a cuddle. Josie cuddled in to Jo for a moment, then struggled to be put down on the floor again, to join the fun.

**

1952 Cunninham / Mannering / Trent home

 

Dinah settled into a well worn armchair with a sigh. 

"I'd forgotten just how long that walk is, every muscle I have seems to be crying out in distress." She said, massaging the ends of her feet as she spoke. 

The young woman settled in the other armchair laughed at the highly undignified pose. Her fair hair and pink and white face made a cheery attractive combination. 

"I have had worse treks," she said with a smile, " but only because it was in a blizzard and we nearly got lost, so barring that one, I think today’s trek comes close to the worst I have done. What did I do to you to make you decide to torture me like that?"

Dinah laughed. "Perhaps I was hoping you might give me a break when we get back to the hospital if I promised not to chose hikes like that everyday !"

"Nice try, but that's my job as your mentor, young Trent !, You'll have to produce something much better than that if you want me to let you away with anything in your training!" replied her companion with a smile.

The door opened behind them and a friendly looking man with a bald head entered the room. 

"Hello Dinah, didn't get a chance to see you last night, did you have a good journey down here?" he said, as he ruffled her hair affectionately. 

"Hello Bill, it wasn't too bad thanks." replied Dinah, " This is my friend Daisy Venables from med school. She now terrorises me as my supervisor." she continued. Daisy laughed and shook Bill's hand.

"Nice to meet you Daisy. I hope Dinah doesn't make you want to tear your hair out too much!" he said, with a cheeky grin at his adopted daughter. "She’s always been a terror, even when she was a youngster, instead of such an elderly graduate." 

Daisy smiled and reassured him that her hair was quite safe, and Dinah was actually doing very well in her training. 

"Well I must just go and see where my wife is, will look forward to getting to know you better later, Daisy" Bill said, heading through the room and out into the hallway. 

In the kitchen, Mrs Cunningham, Bill's wife and Dinah's mother, was standing at the sink washing dishes. As Bill entered the room, she turned to him with a happy smile. 

"I thought I heard your voice." she said, giving him a kiss, "Have you eaten, or do you want some supper?"

"I had something before I left London, thanks Allie" he said. "But if the kettle needed putting on any time soon I wouldn't say no."

She set about getting some tea made, and he sat down at the kitchen table. 

"That girl Daisy seems nice," he said. "So is she just a friend of Dinah's, or is she a 'friend' of Dinah?"

Mrs Cunnigham frowned as she said 

"You know I really don't know. Dinah hasn't said, and I don't quite like to ask. She does seem a very nice girl, either way."

The kitchen door opened, and a young man came in. He had brown hair and an unruly tuft on the top of his head, just like his mother and sister. 

"Hello there Bill," he said," nice to see you home for a bit, can you stay long ?

"Not too long this time, Phillip," said Bill, offering a chair at the table to Phillip as they talked. " We were just talking about this friend of Dinah's, do you know anything about her ?" Bill continued. 

"Not a sausage I'm afraid." replied Phillip. "Is she a 'friend' then? Has Dinah said anything to you about her?"

"We were rather hoping that she had said something to you, but it sounds like she hasn't" said Bill. "So it looks like we are all equally in the dark about her. Well Dinah will tell us when she is ready. How are things going with you then Phillip? Are you here for a long stay yourself or just a flying visit ?"

**

 

Dinah settled back into the armchair with a sigh. Daisy smiled and the two sat in companionable silence for a while. The rest of the family had gone off to bed, after riotous family evening where Kiki had kept them entertained by trying to get the fruit out of the toasted tea cakes they had eaten and telling Daisy repeatedly to shut the door. 

"You do realise your family are all trying to work out whether I am your girlfriend." said Daisy with a grin. 

" Oh are they?" said Dinah, trying to look innocent. 

Daisy squinted at her suspiciously. Then her eyes widened and she sat upright. 

"Dinah Trent! You know perfectly well that they would do that, THAT'S why you made me take off my engagement ring, it had nothing to do with Kiki maybe stealing it ! What are you trying to get away with? Why do you want them to think that ? Don't they know about you and Nora? "

 

Dinah pretended to hide begind the chair to escape Daisy's wrath. 

"I'm sorry! It just seemed such a good opportunity when I realised what they might think."

Daisy began to laugh. "But WHY, Dinah? Do they not like Nora?"

"Oh it isn't that, it's... Well it's complicated. They worry about us you see. We had so many adventures when we were younger, and ever since they found out about Lucy Ann and Mike they have been doing their best to convince her to drop him. Mike is Nora's brother you see, twins actually. And their family is just as bad about failing into adventure as ours. I think Bill and mother are worried that the combination will mean they or any children they have will be twice as likely to have adventures and end up at risk. And they are very protective of Lucy Ann, they don't want her to get hurt. "

Daisy frowned. "Genetic tendency to adventures. That really ought to make me laugh, it sounds so silly. But when I think about my family and everything that keeps happening, I do wonder. But we aren’t all related ... Perhaps it’s part genes, part environment ..."

She looked up to see Dinah trying hard not to laugh. Daisy smiled. 

"Sorry! Force of habit, tend to think of everything in terms of research papers these days ! But back to Nora - that can't be all of it, surely ? After all, they wouldn’t be worried about the two of you having children together!"

Dinah looked slightly sad. "Well it isn't the whole reason. Nora, well, she is very young in some ways. And, well she ... She keeps going back to her boyfriend."

Daisy understood at last. They sat in silence for a while, the Dinah said. 

"Silly really. I should look for someone else. But then she comes back and....well I can understand. She wants kids, and she wants a life she doesn't have to hide. I just feel, until she decides fully, I don't want to have to go through trying to convince Bill and mother that we won't end up stranded inside a mountain or on an island somewhere forever. "

Daisy considered for a moment. 

"It’s difficult" she said at last "Nora's instincts might be one way, but if I, I mean she... wants kids and a life her family can approve of, well I can see the appeal of that."

Dinah looked at Daisy thoughtfully. Daisy seemed lost in thought, then shook herself awake and said 

"I'm off to bed, need to make sure I have enough energy for this picnic with your friends tomorrow."

Dinah agreed, and they set off up the stairs, said goodnight and went off to bed.

**

 

Welcome to organised chaos!" said Dinah with a laugh. They were sitting on the beach on Ge's island, surrounded by Dinah's friends and extended family. 

Daisy laughed. "I'm sure it won't be that bad," she said, "I’ve been on plenty of picnics this size, although usually with mostly children rather than only two!"

She looked over at the baby twins, John and Josie, who were being held still by their mother Jo, while Phillip was coaxing some rabbits out from the long grass to let them stroke them. John sat motionless on his mother's lap, fascinated by the little creatures. Josie managed a few minutes stillness and then gave a delighted chuckle and reached out a tiny hand to grab hold of the rabbits ears. In a trice it disappeared off into the undergrowth.

 

Daisy looked around the island. She had met Dinah's brothers Phillip and Jack the night before. Dinah's adopted sister Lucy Ann was sitting quietly holding the hand of her boyfriend Mike. 

Ge was trying to stop the twins from crying. John put up his lip for a wail after the rabbit ran away, and Josie was ever ready to copy her brother. So Ge was standing on her head in the sand pulling faces to distract them. 

Dinah started introductions. 

"I think most people you know, or know of," she said. "Mike here is the one surgically attached to Lucy Ann" she said with a grin to her adopted sister, who put her tongue out in reply, while Mike just grinned. 

"This disreputable effort here is my friend Ge Kirren, also known as George, take your pick! John and Josie belong to her and Jo, who is the little cheeky one over there" 

Jo also put her tongue out at Dinah at this introduction, surprising her twins, who both turned their heads to look at their mother at the same time with a comical effect. 

Dinah continued. 

"Peggy, who you saw briefly before she disappeared off into the hut with her boyfriend Freddie to 'check the supplies' is Mike's sister. The little black terrier over there is Fatty, sorry Freddie's dog, Buster, and the rather elderly collie cross over there is Timmy, who belongs to Ge and Jo." 

She turned to the young man with very dark eyes and hair, who was sitting close to Jo and the twins and laughing at Ge's antics.

"This dark object here is called Sooty, believe it or not. Real name Pierre, but no one ever calls him that so you may as well call him Sooty too" Dinah continued, then looked around, obviously searching for someone. 

"And Mike's other sister is Nora, who is ... where is Nora Mike? "

Mike looked awkward.

"I'm sorry Di, she ... She's not coming. I told her she should tell you herself but ...well you know Nora." Mike said, looking embarrassed. Dinah just nodded and busied herself with the ropes on the boat for a moment. When she turned back to the group, her eyes were suspiciously bright. 

Ge frowned, and looked questioningly at Jo, who nodded. She got up and said heartily to Dinah, 

"Come on Di, if we are to have any fish to cook for this picnic, we can't all laze around like this lot seem to be doing. Come and give me a hand in the boat."

They set off for an area just off the edge of the island, and Daisy could see that Dinah gradually started to smile, then laugh at her friend's antics. 

"Nora is such an ass" said Mike. "She might be my twin, but she needs to decide what she wants and stick to it. Poor Di, she needs to give up and look for someone else."

They all agreed and began to chatter about other things. Daisy, with her practised doctor's eye was watching Jo's breathing as she struggled to keep up with the twins, who were determinedly trying to get to the water. 

Sooty came to her rescue and corralled the twins into a dip in the beach with some small walls of sand. He kept them giggling by popping up from one side or the other and winking at them. 

Daisy watched this little scene and wondered what the situation there was. The babies were very dark in colouring, and already had Jo's rather puckish little features. They must have had a father, and Sooty was great with them. Daisy was intrigued by how this little family worked, bit didn't think it was the kind of question you could ask on a first meeting. 

**

 

Daisy went to sit by Jo. "They are a handful aren't they," she said. Jo agreed, and smiled at her. 

Daisy considered, then continued. 

"I don't want to pry Jo, but are you seeing a doctor? You don't seem at all well to me. Are you always this tired?"

Jo nodded, looking down and away from Daisy. The young doctor looked at her, then asked a few more questions, looking more and more serious with each answer. Finally she passed Jo a piece of paper with a phone number. 

"Give me a call when you can. I’ll see if I can get you seen by someone."

Jo just nodded, and said to Daisy 

"Fine, but don't mention anything to Ge or Dinah, or anyone will you. I don't want her worrying."

Daisy agreed, although unwillingly. 

Jo looked out over the waves to Ge and Dinah laughing and talking in the boat. Her expression was unreadable. 

**

1953 

George stared at the letter in her hand. Her eyes couldn't leave the paper, although she had sat there for an hour already. 

 

Dear George,

By the time you find this I will be gone. I have met someone and I’m leaving to be with them. I want you to keep the twins, and I have arranged everything so that no-one can take them from you. 

I don't think someone like me is meant to live in a house and be a mother. Please don't try to find me, I won't come back. 

I think you should try to get back in touch with your family. They are too important to you to be away from them like this. 

I’ve been in contact with Dick already, and he finally understands that there was no other man, just you. He hasn't dared ask to see the children but if he does I think you should let him. If you don't want to, I understand. They are yours now, he has no rights to them, I’ve made sure of that. 

But they are starting to look like him, and you shouldn't have to cope with everything alone, now that he’s willing to admit his mistake. I know you can't forgive him yet, but he was scared and hurt, he didn't understand what was going on.

I know by leaving you I don't have any right to ask anything of you. All I do ask is please just always continue to be you. I know you will find someone amazing, who won't cause you all these problems and let you down.

I'm sorry George. 

Goodbye, and thank you for everything,

Jo. 

**

A few months later

Dear George, 

I don't quite know how to start this letter.  
I only hope that when you come to the end of it you will still speak to me.

Jo swore me to secrecy, and I just couldn't say no. I just really hope you can understand. 

She had seeing some doctors for a while George, and they told her they couldn't do any more and she didn't have long. She just couldn't face having you look after her as she got worse, and she knew that if you knew about her being so ill you would never give up trying to find her.

That's why she pretended to have left for someone else. I didn't think she should have done that to you, but you know better than anyone that no one could argue with Jo! 

She was going to just leave on her own and keep going till her health gave in. But I managed to convince her to come to us instead. I hate the fact that we had those final moments with Jo and you didn't but I am glad that she was at least with friends. 

She finally passed away last night, and so I can at last tell you she didn’t leave you by choice, and ask you to forgive me for not saying before. I was just so afraid she really would go off on her own and be alone for those last few weeks.

I'm so sorry, 

Your friend, and Jo's

Sooty.


	6. Ge moves on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts being more Chalet School here, but hopefully you don't need to know the characters already to continue enjoying.

Ge buried herself in the farm work and care of the children, and gradually the loss of Jo became a dull ache rather than immediate pain. With time she began to smile again, and life went on. The children barely remembered Jo, something that upset Ge, but that she also felt slightly glad about. Time enough to talk to them about their mother once they were older. For now she concentrated on living and keeping track of two tiny livewires who had inherited their parents' knack for mischief and adventures.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

1958 The Gornetz Platz, Switzerland – After the Chalet School pantomine.

The pantomime had been a roaring success. Con had aquitted herself well by her rescue of the main role, and Clem, returning to school to help out with the evil villain, had been a fearsome sight in her green make up and claws. 

After the pantomime, Clem was sitting in the dressing room trying without a lot of success to get the green make up off, when there came a knock on the door. The others had all been able to change and clear up quickly compared to Clem, so she was alone. Quickly pulling a robe around her, she opened the door, curious as to who would bother to knock. 

To her surprise, Tom Gay was standing there, smiling at the sight of her half green, half red raw face. Tom stood firmly upright, hair short as ever, neat and crisp in her skirt and blouse, but still looking as though she really would be happier in a suit. 

"Tom! I couldn't think who it was that would bother to knock! Come in, do!" said Clem. "I didn't know you were up here ?" she commented as she resumed trying to get the make up off. 

"Just come up on a brief visit. Didn't show myself too obviously, you know how they can be if they see an old girl sometimes." said Tom, as she settled herself on a stool, crossed her legs in her typically masculine way, one foot resting on the other knee. 

Clem started rubbing at her face again, finally getting annoyed with getting the make up all over her robe and slipping it back off her shoulders to sit in her underwear. She caught a motion out of the corner of her eye, and saw in the mirror that it had been Tom moving her head, for she was now studiously looking at the ceiling. 

"Now that's interesting..." Clem thought.

A short while later, after Clem had given up the battle, hoping that the last few bits of make up would gradually wear off over the next few days, the two of them went for an evening stroll among the trees, chatting pleasantly about nothing in particular. 

Clem studied Tom out of the corner of her eye. She had often wondered whether Tom was inclined towards women, but had dismissed it as too obvious, after all there were plenty of women with slightly masculine tendencies who were happily married and had scores of children. Tom up until now had shown no great interest in anything but her woodwork and doll houses. 

She was doing well with her boys club and church duties, as far as had been heard, and Clem had assumed she would either remain an active church spinster, keeping the congregation in order, or perhaps marry later in life, probably to a clergyman. Now Clem was intrigued to know if there was more to Tom, and had every intention of finding out while she had the opportunity.

As they passed along the Platz, they were greeted at every turn by girls out for an evening ramble, or adult members of the school's extended family. Clem, intent on finding out whether her suspicions about Tom were correct, was getting more and more frustrated with everyone's friendliness. 

"Do none of them have homes to go to?" she fumed inwardly. A spark of memory from her last year at school gave her a solution.

"Hey Tom, let's get away from the rabble for a bit shall we?" she said, subtly steering theit path up towards the clearing and herdsman's hut. She went in, and motioned to Tom to follow her. Tom went in the hut and was intrigued to find Clem climbing up into the rafters. 

"Let me see..." came Clem's voice floating down from the beams. "Ha! I thought so. We are in luck, it's obviously near enough the end of term..."

She reappeared, clutching two bottles of wine and some glasses.   
"Prefect 's end of term party stash." she said matter of factly, in response to Tom's questioning look. 

Tom laughed. "Well! You youngsters were obviously a bit more forward than my group! We thought we were quite daring sneaking out for a midnight swim and picnic !!" 

Clem grinned wickedly, and settled down at the table, pouring them both some wine. Tom looked doubtful for a moment, then grinned back and sat down opposite her.

So, Tom, ah ... any romance on the horizon in your life then?" asked Clem, as she poured Tom a second glass. Tom's face closed slightly.

"No, don't think I'm one that's much up for romance really. Too much to do, you know ..." Tom replied, with an offhand shrug. 

Clem considered for a moment, then continued, chosing her words carefully. 

"Yes, can see it might be difficult for you, being so involved with the parish and everything." 

She paused, poured a little more into Tom's glass and said casually. " Haven't been with anyone myself since Julie decided to go back to men..."

Tom shook her head, a little as if she thought she had water in her ears. She looked doubtfully at Clem, who held her gaze. Tom's eyes opened wide and she couldn't help but exclaim, 

"Julie Lucy?!?"

 

**

A few hours later, Clem had all the information she needed, and was in no doubt that Tom was on the same track as herself. 

Tom was lying back on the pile of blankets, giggling and muttering things like,

"She'd carry you through the snow you know .... Real gentleman she is, was, Er..is..., he's a reeeeeaall drip, you know that?"

Clem had no idea what she was talking about, but wasn't surprised when Tom staggered upright and came over to Clem's own pile of blankets. "You...you are very confident, it's nice, it's nice you know..."

Although she was sorely tempted, Clem resisted the urge to take advantage of the situation. Although it had been a long time since she had last been physically this close to a woman that was clearly interested in her, she had managed to get enough from Tom's ramblings to realise this would be Tom's first time. That wasn't something you wanted to wake up with a hangover and regret. 

With a sigh she encouraged Tom to lie down on the larger pile of blankets, and go to sleep. She herself went for a brisk walk in the cool night air, then came back and settled down on the other blankets. 

**

 

Tom pried her eyes open. Where on earth was she? Vague memories of the night before came drifting back to her. She Sat upright as she remembered trying to sit so close she was almost on Clem's lap, and put her head in her hands, wondering what on earth had happened. 

"Hello sleepyhead!" said Clem, coming in with a small basket of bread twists in one hand and a thermos of coffee in the other.   
She pushed the door shut with her foot and laid the goodies on the table. 

Tom found it hard to look at her. "Uh, Clem..." she said "Um, I don't usually drink much, you know, I ... Er might have done and said some things."

Clem grinned at her. "No, sadly you were too far gone to DO anything, you did say a lot though..."

Tom managed to look both relieved, slightly worried and almost disappointed all at the same time. Clem took pity on her. 

" Tom, I'm not going to tell anyone, and we didn't do anything to be embarrassed about anyway although it wasn't for want of trying on your part!" 

Tom blushed at this and looked down. 

" I wouldn't want you regretting something once you were sober." continued Clem. "Come and get some breakfast, if I didn't take advantage of you last night I'm not likely to do so now you are sober!"

Tom came over and had some bread and coffee. After a short while Clem was just contemplating whether they ought to be making a move before they were missed too much, when a little voice that seemed totally unlike her own, Tom said. 

"I'm not drunk now you know" 

Taking a moment to process this, Clem gave a smile to rival the Cheshire cat and leant over to the door and bolted it shut before heading over to join Tom. 

 

Some Letters 

Dear Bride, 

Can I come down and visit you? There is something I want to tell you. 

Cheers

Tom. 

\----

Dear M-L, 

You won't believe the weekend I have had. Ended up helping out with the pantomime and got more out of it than I bargained for! 

An old girl, (who shall be known as T.G ...) turned up and we had a most interesting time ... I leave you to fill in the gaps, I'm sure you can ! 

Anyway, will fill you in properly when I see you next, suffice to say that old herdsman's hut we used to have the prefect party in has more than one use! 

Clem

\----

Clem ! Are you meaning Ted Grantley??? I know you said you wondered about her, but surely she is too young for you to be getting up to things in herdsman's huts with her?? 

Yours 

Mary Lou

\------

Dear poor deluded M-L,

If you had learnt to read you would have seen the phrase "OLD GIRL" and then avoided going off on underage tangents. Although Ted isn't that much younger than me, now that is an interesting thought for the future, thanks for the idea. 

No, this is someone older than me, we had a great time actually. We agreed to just keep it a bit of fun when possible, which suits me fine, and is safer for her with her situation. No, if you use your brain I would be you can see why I don't think it WOULD WORK with this T.G long term ...

If you don't get who it is I give up on you! 

Have you heard much from Tony recently ? He is getting very secretive. I think he has a girlfriend but wants to keep it a bit hush hush. See if you can find out who it is will you, I need to know if I would approve ! 

All the best, 

Clem. 

\---------

Dear Tom, 

Of course you can come and visit. 

Daisy was right about this part of the world, it's glorious. Especially with the new house being so close to the sea. I look forward to showing you around, I have met some real characters here already! 

Hope the thing we need to talk about isn't bad? 

Let me know when you want to come down, 

All the best,

Bride.

***

 

"So what are your plans for the day?" asked Bride. Tom shrugged. 

"Explore the area I guess, since you are deserting me," she said.

“I like that ! I would hardly count going out for a few hours as deserting. And if you had bothered to tell me when you were coming, I would have rearranged, as you well know. So you only have yourself to blame my girl." said Bride briskly, picking up her keys. 

Tom grinned and pretended to put up her hands to defend herself, then bowed down in mock apology for her cheek. Bride smiled, glad to see Tom back to herself. 

The previous night's confession had come as no surprise to Bride, but it had obviously been bothering Tom. For the past year she had been withdrawn and less confident than Bride had ever seen her. Then this sudden request to visit and her faltering explanation of the events with Clem, had shown Bride where the issue was. Tom's relief when Bride was understanding had seemed to add inches to her height instantly. She stood taller, joked more and was far less moody. 'Back to her real self again in fact,' Bride thought, as she headed out to the car. 

Tom stuck her hands in her pockets and headed out to the beach for a wander. 

She was enjoying the quiet when all of a sudden a small girl ran out of a cave, being chased by a boy so alike as to have to be her brother. The girl, a dark haired little object, came barreling into Tom, catching her right in her middle, and nearly sending her over on the sand. 

"I'm so.. sorry," panted the girl, still keeping a wary eye on her brother, who was trying to hide a large handful of seaweed behind his back and look innocent. 

Tom laughed, " No harm done! But you look like you might be in need of sanctuary anyway. I'd run if I were you, I'd bet that that seaweed has your name on it." 

The twins grinned at finding such an understanding adult, and chased off, Jo using the opportunity to grab a pile of weed of her own to make the fight more even. 

"Thanks for understanding" said a warm deep toned voice from just above her head.

Tom squinted up to look at the speaker. A young woman who looked about her own age was sitting on the top of a rock outcrop, keeping a watchful eye on the two children while she smiled a welcome to Tom. 

"Not a problem," said Tom, "I just wish I was still young enough to have seaweed fights myself!"

Ge laughed, and leapt nimbly off the rock onto the beach. "Who says you are ever too old to have a seaweed fight?" she said, then stuck a hand out to Tom, who shook it.

"My name’s Ge, and I would guess from the direction you came from, that you are a friend or one if the many relations Bride seem to have ?"

Tom grinned, and said "School friend, and yes there are a lot of them, it can be hard to keep track of their clan, even if knowing them as long as I have!"

Ge returned to the original topic. 

"So now we are introduced, is there any reason why you feel you can't have a seaweed fight with the twins and I? ... Other than you could well lose..." 

Tom looked around her. There was no one except the two children in sight. She thought for a moment, then grinned back at Ge. She was in just the right mood for a bit of silliness like this. 

"I believe that is a challenge ? I therefore accept and shall prove your last statement wrong, I fear you will be the one losing."

The twins were thrilled to have not only Aunt Ge, but also this cheerful stranger join in the fun. 

Ge was fast, but Tom was accurate. She managed to get a large handful of seaweed to hit Ge smack on the neck, then ducked in time to avoid the retaliation. She then gave her attention to John, only to find she had left herself open to Ge sneaking up behind her and landing some fronds of the seaweed directly on the top of her head. 

Finally they all sat on the beach, exhausted. The twins dug themselves small holes in the sand and after settling in them, they swiftly fell asleep. Ge and Tom idly chatted, getting to know one another and finding they had a lot in common besides their use of a boy's name wherever possible. 

 

**

A few nights later Bride had to go out again. She offered for Tom to come with her, but Ge had suggested a meal at her farm some stage, and Tom was glad of the opportunity to take her up on the offer. 

The twins had already eaten and were dressed for bed. Ge had let them stay up later than normal, so that they could show Tom some of their small treasures and efforts at drawing. 

" This is a pix-ture of me, and this is John, and this is Timmy." said Josie to Tom, who listened in all seriousness "An' this is Aunt-Ge... And THIS," she continued, showing Tom a barely recognisable stick figure with short hair and a green scribble above what appeared to be the head. " ... you with seaweed on your head."

John was just as keen as Josie to show everything, and Tom admired a stuffed lion, painting of a tree and some white mice in a cage. She earned a dazzling smile from both of them when she slightly adjusted the support for a very ancient doll's house, so that it lost it's precarious lean to the right. 

Tom then made the mistake of admitting that she made dolls houses as a hobby. After being inundated with questions from both of them, she wasn't allowed to leave the room without a promise to Josie to show her how to make a doll's house, and to John to show him how to make joints square and strong without nails. 

Finally Ge stepped in. "Bed. Now" she said. Josie looked at her thoughtfully, trying to see how much leeway she had. A quick shake of the head told her Ge meant it this time, and they admitted defeat, loth as they were to stop questioning this fascinating stranger. 

Tom and Ge settled down after the meal for a chat. Tom sat there, enjoying the evening, but thinking furiously about whether this woman was interested in men or not. She also pondered how and if she should reveal her own inclinations. Ge, from the vantage point of a few years older, and having known her path much younger than Tom, was trying not to smile at the tentative questions Tom was asking to try to find her way. 

She was also surprised to find herself attracted to Tom, an emotion she kept trying to dismiss as being grateful for how good Tom seemed to be with the children. 

As the evening wore on, Ge took pity on Tom, and started giving some answers that showed Tom she was on the right track with thinking Ge was the same way inclined as herself. She explained a little about Jo, then looked slightly to the side of Tom while she explained that Jo was no longer around. 

As they talked, Tom realized that they had unconsciously moved closer and closer together on the couch. 

Ge was at a loss as to know what to do. Her body was very clear how she wanted the rest of the evening to go, but her brain kept telling her that it wasn’t fair to Tom when she still didn't feel ready for more than just that physical attraction. 

Tom, on the other side, was in a similar state. She was still too close to her depression about realizing Daisy wasn't ever going to be more than a friend, and hating herself for even thinking about Daisy that way. Clem, and the last conversation they had had on the Platz came to mind. 

"Its been fun Tom, and I'm always up for a rematch, but there's not the right things between us for anything more." Clem had said. Tom had remembered feeling relieved and glad to have left it on such good terms. Clem was great, but she was never one that would stay in one place for long enough to make a good partner. 

Tom's mind returned to the present day. Ge was speaking very softly, and Tom had to strain to hear. 

"Tom, I... I think it's too soon for me to think of anyone taking Jo's place, I really have to say that. But I ... Uh... wanted to know if you are feeling the same, Er ... Connection ... between us that I am, well I do like you, but I ... I don't think I am ready for anything other than that ... Oh damn it all, ok, I'll say it - that physical attraction. You are too nice to get any further without me saying. But if you... I wondered if you felt the same?"

Tom was both embarrassed and thrilled to hear this. Her own home situation was still a messy jumble of worries in her mind, and she herself didn't feel ready for more than Ge appeared to be suggesting, so this admission was music to her ears. 

Her smile gave Ge answer enough, and she leant in towards Tom, only to be stopped at the last minute by the sound of a tiny giggle. They turned towards the stairs, to see two sets of tiny black eyes staring down at them through the bannisters. 

Ge frowned for a moment, then said to Tom. 

"Hold that thought, please definitely hold that thought. I will be back in just a moment. Don't let them get up again, they will only be tired out tomorrow." 

A short while later, George returned with her mother, who had been delighted to be asked to baby sit. Her relationship with her daughter was only just starting to get back on a better track, and she accepted the excuse of an overnight fishing trip without comment. 

Ge outlined her plan, and Tom left a message at Bride's house to say not to worry about her, she was on a fishing trip with Ge.

***

The next morning Bride was slightly surprised to see Tom appear without having apparently caught any fish. 

At the last minute Bride stopped herself saying that, that wasn't like Ge, she was normally an expert fisher. She looked at Tom thougtfully. A small smile passed over her face and she changed the subject, starting to talk about the great weather they had been having.


	7. 1960 Triplets (Chalet School)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the original Chalet School story begins, so a bit less Enid Blyton for a little, but they will be back. !

1960

The station master smiled to himself as he watched the figure pacing at the far end of the platform. 

"Meeting a young lady, that lad is, or I'll eat my hat" he remarked to his companion. The porter, disturbed from a comfortable doze, lifted the peak of his own hat and peered in the direction of the master's gaze. 

"Believe you be right with that one sir, look at the young fool. Be off and onto the rails soon if he don't watch out." 

The object of their attention, a smartly dressed man in his twenties, was staring along the tracks as if by sheer force of will he could make the train appear. 

His coat was folded over his arm, having settled there, after a period of changing from over his shoulders, fully on, on one shoulder, and then to and from the nearest bench. As the men watched, he began to finger the edge of the coat again, clearly contemplating another move. The mistreated garment was spared yet another removal by the appearance of the train, far down the tracks.

Dr Reg Entwhistle, for this was the name of the young fool under discussion, stared at the approaching engine. He almost looked ready to bolt, now that the object of his attention was suddenly a reality.

'What if she's changed her mind?' he thought, the tension causing him to grab at his coat again, barely noticing as he mangled the collar between his fingers.

'She could have done. She's so young, after all...she only realised her feelings for me after the accident, could she be coming to tell me it was a big mistake?' 

Having nearly worn a track on the platform with his agitated pacing, Reg was suddenly unable to move, as the passengers began to spill from the carriages. 

At the far end of the platform, a young woman stepped down from the train and began to look around her. In those moments before she saw him, Reg was suddenly taken back to the previous year, the warm sun and crisp air from the memory a stark contrast to the damp, misty English weather that surrounded him now. 

In front of him in this warm summer scene, sat a young girl. She was playing with blades of grass, absently forming rings and then flicking them away. He had watched her grow up from such a young age, it almost felt inappropriate that he could really dare to feel romantically for her. 

"I can't believe you really do feel the same way" he heard his voice echo in his mind. 

"I almost can't believe it myself" came the soft reply. " I thought I had my future all settled, and you were nothing more than a part of a school girl's daydream. All I could really focus on was my training, I thought that that was all that mattered." 

"I don't want you to lose that, you know, " he interjected "It's a part of who you are, and I wouldn't want to take you away from all of that future..."

Even through the mists of memory, the shock of her reply stung him, the proud boy inside still unable to take negative responses well. 

"Ha! Reg, do you really think it would be up to you? No, I'd be doing my training, whether we realised our feelings for each other or not. I'm never going to be one of these passive wives, waiting for my doctor to give me children and letting you dose me every time I show any reaction to things. " 

The girl sat up, her fiery temper, controlled for so long, fully roused at his apparent presumption. 

"No," she continued "don't you worry about my training, that's the least of our concerns. What I want to know is this:" she turned to face him, her whole body showing the conflict within her. She paused, distress evident in every movement. 

" How on earth are we going to tell Len?"

***

Back in the present day, the object of this concern, Mary Helena Maynard, sat beside a river, apparently staring deep into the murky water. Her mind, however, was nowhere near Oxford and the Thames. Beside her, her companion raised her eyes from the book she had been studying, and followed Len's gaze. 

"I don't think the fish are going to answer you, so how about you try me." she calmly queried as she put the book down. 

As Len started and looked over to her, still with unseeing eyes, her questioner took the papers Len was supposed to be reading, and gave the girl a gentle shake. 

"Come on now, Len you’ve been miles away all afternoon. Ever since we met up with those girls from Carnbach you have been terrible company." 

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise" Len replied, as she seemed to almost shake herself awake. "Do you need any help with your revision? I haven't been much use to you so far. "

"No, you haven't, but that is the least of my worries. Come on Len, I’ve known you for far too long to be distracted that easily. Tell me what’s wrong." 

Len coloured as she realised she had still been trying to hide her thoughts and had been so easily found out. "Well it's nothing new really. I was thinking about Reg, and all that confusion last year, if you must know."

"I thought as much" came the reply "It really upset you, didn't it, when those old girls were asking about it all. They were just gossips, Len, not worth thinking about. We left Carnbach so long ago - they only know you because of the family and school connection. You know what Chinese whispers are like in a school."

"But to think that I was playing 'fast and loose' with him, to suggest that I had said Yes to him, and then found a 'better catch' once I reached Oxford."flared Len. "It's not me, why would they think that? "

Her companion paused, trying to decide how best to answer. "I know that Len, and anyone who had spent any time recently with you would know that too. But they didn't know you, not really. Oh I know they are Chalet girls too in theory. But the two branches have been apart now for so long, they almost feel like different schools to me." 

Her face twisted in distaste as she spoke again "The way that they were all fussing and preening whenever a male student or young tutor went by. Can you see us behaving like that, even as we get older? They judged you by their own standards. 

Len laughed at this characteristic reply. “So fierce about it! And is that worse than you now judging them by ours?" she teased. "Perhaps they have the right idea - After all, it might be nice to be involved with someone, would break up the monotony of lectures!" 

Her face fell again as she followed this thought through. "Perhaps if we hadn't been kept so young at our branch of the Chalet School, I would have known better how to handle things with Reg. Then people wouldn't think I was the one who broke it off, so soon after we had become engaged" 

"No one who matters thinks that Len! Why do you think Reg chose to leave the Platz so soon after he told you he had made a mistake? He knew that no-one there would have any time for him after the way he behaved. If you ask me, he only pursued you like that because you were part of the family, and then because you weren't interested. He was attracted by the fact that you were unobtainable, not by the real you."

"Don't remind me! I felt so stupid when he came to me and said that he’d changed his mind."

Len paused, then continued. "But he never did properly explain WHY. It wasn't until this afternoon that I fell to thinking about it. Those girls were asking all those questions about what happened. It struck me that if I had really felt for Reg the way that I thought I did, surely I should have wanted to know why. "

Even as she finished talking, the church bell behind them rang. Suddenly aware of the time, the two young students collected their belongings and hurried off towards the college, all thoughts of Reg forgotten in their haste to get back before they were missed.

*** 

Back on the platform, Reg forced his mind onto the present day, and raised his hand to signal to the girl, so alike to the rest of her family physically, yet totally different in many ways. 

She finally caught sight of him. All at once his fears proved groundless, as her face lit up in delight on seeing him after so long. Had he known, his own face was a mirror of hers, as he absently threw his coat on the bench again and strode towards her. 

"Reg! " she beamed "you came to meet me! I thought your morning surgery would still be going, I assumed someone else would have to show me where to go. " 

Reg held himself in control by the barest margin, her mention of the surgery reminding him that he had a reputation to uphold. A country doctor could hardly be seen sweeping a girl into his arms, especially one who still looked as if she could be at school. He settled for a huge grin at her and a hand taking her suitcase from beside her. 

"Any more luggage?" he asked, beginning to attempt to get the porter's attention. 

"No, that’s all of it. I thought it easier to travel light, as I didn't know if anyone would be able to meet me." 

"Well then, " he replied " shall we get moving on then? Do you want to go straight to your hotel ? Or can I buy you a drink and a cake first?"

He realised his mistake too late, as she chortled and responded in a playful tone. 

" You MAY take me for a cake, whether you CAN depends on whether you have left your wallet in the coat you so casually threw aside just now. " 

He turned in panic, suddenly realising anyone could have taken the coat, which indeed had his wallet in an inside pocket. A peal of laughter showed that his tormentor had known all along the items were safe. 

"Come on then Mary Margerat Maynard" he replied with a chuckle of his own " if I MAY take you out, let's get ourselves off this platform and into a tea shop. "

The couple left the platform, oblivious to all around them. For all Reg's attempted reserve, he might as well have swept Margot off her feet and carried her, their delight in each other's company was so obvious. 

"That's the young doctor from out Bamdy End way, ent it?" queried the porter, as the couple passed. "looks like he's not going to be the pin up for the local lasses much longer, if I'm not mistaken" 

"Too true, the master replied "ah well, I'm sure they will all cope. Look lively there, the 11.15 from Manchester will be along any minute, no time to be wondering about the doc and his lady friend now. Leave that to the lasses. Come on now, get moving!"

The couple in question wandered slowly along the street, finally entering a small shop with the sign 'Tea,Cakes, Ices' in the window. They settled in a cosy corner and ordered two toasted tea cakes and a pot of tea. 

"After all those buns with cream, meringues and sugary treats we had when we were growing up, I never thought I would have such a craving for simple tea cakes. But since being back in Britain I’ve developed quite an addiction." Margot said. 

"Better for your teeth at least, and since I can't offer you those continental delights anymore, I’m quite glad to hear you say that." 

Margot caught the slight edge in his voice at the reference to the Platz. "It’s been hard for you, leaving there, hasn't it." She stated softly. 

"It has been ... Different." he replied, looking down at the tablecloth. "It was pretty grim at the beginning, I’d thought that I would stay at the San till I retired. But I’m actually beginning to like being a local doctor. I can get to know my patients more. And the people give me far more respect than you girls at the school ever did! " 

He looked up at her with a smile, then directed his gaze back to the table." Far harder has been having to stay away from you so long. I nearly came to you at university so many times. Even bought a ticket once... But then one of your letters would arrive. It always made me realise, if I want to be with you for life, and we don't want your family to disown you, or try to keep us apart, this is the best way " 

"It IS worth it Reg, although I know how you feel. It is so important that we keep this secret, you were right not to come" Margot replied. "In fact, you have done better than I have."

He looked up sharply at this, a question on his lips. She nodded, and now it was her turn to examine the fine detail of the cloth. “I actually got as far as this station, before I realised I just couldn't risk someone seeing us together.” 

A grim smile passed across her face before she continued. “And the problem with having been babies to a whole school is that there are always old girls, wherever you go in this country. No sooner will I settle down to learn my Anatomy or some such, and someone I barely know will pounce on me and start being all gushy. I could easily throttle Mamma sometimes for being such a good correspondent. All these old girls seem to have had photos of us all sent to them year after year. If I didn't know she had no idea I would swear she had a whole spy network ..." 

She ground to a halt and looked at his strange expression. " I'm rambling, aren't I, I always do that when I'm nervous, I ..."

"Be quiet ! " Reg said suddenly, shocking Margot with his tone.


	8. 1960 More Triplets stories

1960 – End of Summer Term

In Oxford, Len and Con settled themselves down either side of their joint desk, and set to work on their individual studies. All was quiet for a time, pens scratching and paper rustling the only sounds.

"Len?" came the sudden query from her sister. 

"Mmphf?" replid Len absently, as she frowned at her translation.

"No, put your work away a minute, and listen properly, I need to ask you something." 

Len tore herself away from the page and looked up into her sister's eyes. "Ok, you have me, what did you want to ask ?" she replied, even as her eyes drifted back to the book in front of her" 

With a swift movement, Con lifted the book away from her, closed it and placed it on top of the translation. "Right. Now that I REALLY have your attention." she said, ignoring her sister's squawks at the treatment of her previous work. "This is my question - Did you really feel for Reg the way you thought you did. When you became engaged I mean?"

Surprised at the question, having buried that afternoon's conversation back into the locked parts of her brain she tried not to access, Len stumbled through an answer. 

"I ... I suppose so. I was so worried about him, and he had always been so nice to me, well I thought it was the right thing to do" 

"Hmmm. I thought as much. I always wondered. I felt at the time that it was, well, more that Reg wanted you, and you, being you, couldn't really realise that you had a choice" 

Len shook her head slowly. "Always you know me, Con. Better than I do myself I think sometimes. That was what was occupying me so strongly this afternoon by the river. When Reg broke the engagement off, well I did feel a fool. But the biggest feeling ? ..."

"Relief. " her triplet completed the sentence for her. " It was obvious, to me at least. Everyone else was fussing around you, so sure that you must be heartbroken. Even Margot. But all I could see was relief. "

Len's tense shoulders seemed to fall several inches as she let her sister's words sink in. "You know, you’re right. I felt that everyone expected me to be hurt, it was almost as if admitting how I truly felt would make everyone think I had been being casual about the seriousness of marriage. And I did care for him. But...”

She frowned in concentration, searching for the right words 

“Well now I think back, it was more like a cousin really. Like David or Rix. But he seemed so sure. I... I almost worry that he decided to leave because he realised that it wasn't enough, the way I felt about him "

Con studied her sister, finally seeing the reason her normally sensible sister had taken the conversation with the old girls so badly

"Well that is the way I felt about him too, Len. After all, we were only tinies when we met him." 

Con cleared her throat and continued, chosing her words carefully 

"If you really want to know what I think, Reg isn't the type to take things lightly. Nor would I say he was the type to see that far beyond the end of his nose. If you had agreed to marry him, and that was what he had wanted, his ego would have carried him on, oblivious to you feelings Len. I could be wrong, you knew him better. But somehow, whatever his reasons, I can't help feeling that they were nothing to do with you"

***

Back in the tea shop, Margot froze, as an all too familiar voice rang out.

"It always makes be hungry, going for a walk in these hills. Not that it should, the hikes we do here are nothing compared to the treks we used to do at school" 

Her companion groaned "Not your Swiss stories again ! If I've heard you tell me to bend my knees as I walk once I have heard it a hundred times !" 

He waved to the waitress at the back of the cafe and settled himself down at a table near the counter. "Let me get through at least one visit without a mention of you lifting up to your eyes to the hills, and I consider myself a lucky man. Now chose your food wisely my girl. We have a way to go before we reach the my cousin's farm"

The woman he addressed was obviously well used to his cheek, and merely aimed a swat at the top of his head as she sat down, mercifully with her back to the rest of the room. 

Margot had gone completely white.

"Of ALL the people !" she whispered in despair. "Is there any way we can leave without being seen?

Reg and Margot sat frozen in their chairs. "It was too soon, we should never have risked it" she agonised. "I'm not even supposed to know where you have gone, let alone be alone with you, carrying a suitcase. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. Margot I'm so sorry, I’ve never seen anyone I knew here at all. Of all the days for a Chalet girl to appear, especially one with such close ties to your family. Perhaps if I make some sort of distraction, you could sneak out of the cafe without them noticing..."

All too late, the decision was taken out of their hands. Shifting in her chair, the woman caught sight of the red gold head over in the corner. 

"Margot ! I didn't know you would be in this part of the country! And who is your friend?" She exclaimed, then her mouth fell open in surprise. "Reg? Is that you? How, I mean, when..." she came to a stop and simply stared from one to the other.

 

"Well, Mary-Lou" said the man she had arrived with, clearly seeing that for once the indomitable Mary Lou was speechless. "I think our secret is out ... and we’re not the only ones. Hello Margot, haven't seen you for ages"

Margot stared at him, then comprehension dawned. "Tony !" she said. "I'm so sorry, I was so shocked to see Mary-Lou that I didn't even realise it was you..." She let the sentence drift to a stop, realising too late that she had unintentionally admitted that they had been trying to hide their meeting. 

"Not a problem" Tony replied with his cheeky grin "with a sister like Clem and a girlfriend like Mary - Lou, I'm used to being ignored !"

Mary Lou turned back to him with a look of panic. He quickly continued 

" Now don't look at me like that M-L. I would wager that these two are not about to go passing back gossip about us, so there isn't much point pretending this is a meeting of old family friends now, is it. Not least because these two look guiltier than middles caught playing Red Indians in full war paint! "

As the other three continued to remain rooted to the spot, he took charge, with a breezy "Right then, Entwhistle, the grub at the local pub is more my line than this, how about we retire there and leave these lovely ladies to have a bit of a chat?"

Reg glanced at Margot, who briefly nodded, then allowed himself to be steered out of the cafe by the forceful young man several years his junior. Mary-Lou and Margot were left staring at each other. 

"Well..."

"So how long?..."

They both began at once, then stopped, saw the funny side and started to laugh. Margot, as befitted the one with the bigger secret to hide, recovered first.

"You won't tell, will you Mary -Lou? It honestly isn't as bad as it looks. I'm booked into the local hotel, and ..." but her courage deserted her as Mary-Lou looked doubtful. "It really does depend Margot, I see you as one of my younger sisters, I can't let you do something that would cause you or Aunt Joey any hurt."

Margot gave a twisted smile again at the words. "You don't mention Len, I would have thought that she would be the one to worry about "

Mary-Lou considered. "No, I actually think Len isn’t to be pitied, if this is why Reg suddenly changed his mind. I think Len had a narrow escape. It never felt real to me somehow. Almost as if she felt she ought to love him. They both seemed almost business-like about the whole thing." 

"He didnt mean to hurt her Mary-Lou!" Margot leapt in at this point. "He thought that there was no way that he could ever be with me, not when I was so set on being a nun. He did, well does, care for Len, so he thought it was the closest to happiness he could get" She stopped, as if realising how selfish that could sound. 

Mary-Lou nodded. "He was being unfair though Margot, which I think you realise. This does explain a few things however. I don't think anyone except you was really surprised when you announced you were going to be a doctor rather than a nun as well. You have far too active a devil my girl!" Margot smiled at the reference to her childhood excuse. 

The girls settled in to talk more, and some hard truths were spoken. But somehow, although she couldn't pinpoint quite why, Margot felt a weight had lifted. Just hearing that maybe, just maybe she had done Len a favour gave her a sense of hope. Perhaps things were going to be alright. What had seemed such a disaster when Mary Lou appeared now seemed the best thing to have happened.

***

Back in Oxford, Con sat up against the bed head, absently twisting the short brown hair of her companion, whose head was resting down by her side. 

"Is there a reason you have to do that quite so fiercely?" came a muffled voice, followed by the object of her torture raising their head from the pillow. 

"Sorry love, did I hurt you?" exclaimed Con, releasing the offending strands of hair and stroking the head in apology. 

 

"Well I have had more comfortable rests, I can tell you that!" came the reply. "But since you don't usually make a habit of inflicting pain on me for no reason, how about you tell me what is bothering you?"

Con frowned, wondering where to begin. "She's so... So young!" was her first, not hugely illuminating, statement

With a sigh, her listener sat up fully and removed Con's hand from the bedsheets, where it was knotting and unknotting the sheets in a manner calculated to cause a tear if she wasn't stopped. 

"Who is so young? And stop mangling your sheets, even if you did learn so much needlework that you could repair them in your sleep, I have far more interesting things planned for your time" 

Seeing that the teasing was simply passing over Con's head, and a more serious tone was needed, the question was repeated in a more gentle tone. "Come on Con, tell me. Something is obviously worrying you. Who is too young, and what are they too young for, if that is what is worrying you?"

"Your grammar is terrible" came the initial reply, in a passable impression of Hilda Annersley. Then, as a glass of water was raised over her head in a threatening manner,Con relented. "Len. She, well, she seems so young about some things." she began, then continued hurriedly on at the clear confusion on her companion's face. 

"No I don't mean in most things, I know we are the same age. And she is so responsible that it has always seemed as if she were my older sister."

"But you’re worrying about her being young in some other way?"

"Yes ... Oh I don't quite know how to put it. It seems so, oh so crude, to be discussing her this way."

Comprehension dawned on the face of her audience. 

"I understand, I think. But Con, not everyone matures that way at the same time. You caught me by surprise by being so, so ... well, confident. Not that it wasn't a very nice surprise! But ..."

What was to follow was cut short by the noise of the door handle suddenly beginning to turn.

"Don't worry, I locked it." Con said in a low voice, having learnt at school that it would carry far less easily than a whisper. There followed a sharp knocking on the door.

"Con, are you in there? The door is locked, are you ok? It's me."

"You would almost think her ears were burning!" exclaimed Con. "I'm so sorry, you will have to go, there is no way I can explain being here with you in a locked room. Drat her, I thought she was going to be in the library all afternoon" 

As she spoke, she began throwing clothes towards the bemused occupant of the bed, and opened the window. "Thank goodness my room is only on the first floor. You can easily reach the tree from here. I'll let you get to the ground then I can let her in"

Giving up the initial objection planned about being summarily thrown out the window, her companion resignedly dressed and clambered through the open gap, leaving behind the parting shot in the same low tones. "You could have illustrated your point in a less dramatic way, you know. I have to agree though, the sooner your sister gets a bit more worldly, the sooner I can leave by the door like a normal person."

Con suppressed a smile and went to open the door. "So sorry Len, I felt like a nap, didn't realise I had locked the door" she exclaimed cheerily, despite her frustration at the loss of the afternoon she had originally planned.


	9. 1960 Some letters and laughing at Ducks

Some letters 

Dearest Reg,

I am safely back at university, and taking your advice to bury myself in my studies. 

It feels as though the weekend went so quickly, we barely got to talk at all. I obviously couldn't give you all the 'hanes' while we were spending so much time with Tony and Mary Lou, so I will bore you with them now. 

It turns out that Mary Lou and Tony have been realising their feelings for one another for a while now. But they had both been unsure how everyone would take it. After all, they have almost grown up together, they didn’t know if people would think them too close for it to be appropriate to be close in that way - to be together. There is something backwards about that sentence, but you know what I mean !

But, just like us, they realised they were both interested in being closer, and decided that it was worth finding out if there was something more. They had been trying to keep it very quiet however, so you can see that she was almost as distressed to meet us there as we were to meet her! 

I told you after that long discussion in the tea shop that she won't give us away. Well it isn't quite as simple as that, I just wasn't sure how to explain it at the time. Oh I don't mean that she will go rushing off to tell everyone, before you begin to worry. 

What she said was that she would keep our secret as long as she felt it wouldn't hurt anyone, mainly Mamma. 

Apparently Dad has been like a bear with a sore paw about the whole thing. The sad fact is that at the moment he wouldn't be able to be civil to you. You know from your last meeting with him last year that he feels you disobeyed his orders with respect to Len, and ended up hurting her, and from everything Mary Lou said to me, I don't think that anything has changed yet. 

But before you fall into one of your despairs, there is good news too. Mary Lou thinks that Mamma would probably support us in the long run. 

Would you believe it, apparently Mary Lou overheard a discussion in the Rose garden where Mamma was saying she had never felt you and Len were right for each other, and even more amazing, she said that of all the girls she actually thought I would have been a better choice. 

I hope you won't take offence, but she thinks you need a strong woman to keep you challenged enough! Not that Len isn't strong of course. But now I think about it, Len would agree with you too much, she has spent so much time watching out for all of us, that I always feels that she wants to keep the peace at all costs. Nobody could acuse me of being meek and mild ! 

Obviously no-one was seriously considering us as an item, after all at that time I was still planning on entering holy orders. But how funny that Mamma said that even before we realised ourselves. She seems to know me better than I knew myself, which amazes me sometimes. After all I was away from her for a long time, then at school once I came back from Canada. I know you will laugh at me for going back to calling her Mamma, but somehow, since hearing about that comment, she feels much more like Mamma than Mum to me now. 

Anyway, back to Mary Lou. She said that she was worried that if we were found out now, it would cause a split in the family. Mamma would always want me to be happy and able to come home, but he is still so angry with you, he could well refuse to have you anywhere near. 

All things we know, sadly, but I just hope he will eventually calm down, and with time we can be honest about how we feel. Since I am away from the Platz now most of the year anyway, we can manage to be patient I hope. 

I will stop here, as I have a huge essay on liver function to write (I know, so romantic!) 

I will write more when I can, all love as always. 

Your Margot.

 

***

 

Hello there Tony-boy, 

I told you most of my conversation with Margot at the time, but after falling in that bog and having to find a place to change, I realise I stopped in mid chatter.

Apparently it was the accident that Reg was in last year that brought it all to the boil. Len was the one that everybody focused on, but it suddenly brought home to Margot how much he meant to her. I think the plan to be a missionary was a way of escaping the situation, which is why it never quite sat well with any of us. 

She said that Reg believed that he loved Len enough, that he thought he cared enough to marry her if he couldn’t have his first choice! I know, I know, I do wonder about people sometimes! 

Margot loves her sister, so she wouldn't have ever got in the way. But apparently he had been directing his feelings for Margot towards Len, thinking there was no chance of Margot. He had heard rumours of M aiming towards her supposed vocation a long time before the rest of us knew. 

Now where was I ? Oh yes - He thought that there would never be any chance of getting her which is why he was such an ass as to go for Len. 

Its a bit like one if those dreadful penny weeklies to be honest. I would have been most tempted to have banged their heads together if I had known about all this at the time. 

So he set his sights on Len but he realised his mistake almost as soon as she said yes. As he recovered, he realised that his feelings really were more brotherly than those of someone in love. But he couldnt see a way out of it all. 

I'm not sure of the exact details, but it sounds as though he was contemplating making a run for it, then writing to tell Len. I'm sure reading that information will make you just as disgusted as I was to hear it. Although hearing Uncle Jack  
talk about him now, I can perhaps understand why he felt he needed to be out of his reach. 

However before he had fully decided, the two of them met out walking, and took shelter in an empty herdsman’s hut to avoid a storm. Well, while they were there the whole story came out. 

(I do wonder if it was the same one we used to sneak off to and get ‘Accidently stuck in a shower’! But I could hardly ask that without incriminating myself, so I held fire, you will be glad to know!)

I have to say Reg does seem a bit of a selfish so and so from all of this, but he is clearly besotted with Margot, so it could well be the best thing for both of them. Two slightly self centred people together, it could be the making of them both. Either that or we shall see fireworks ahead! 

I know you will tell me not to get involved, but you know me, I can't sit idly by. I'm not sure how I can help yet, but hopefully inspiration will strike.

Anyway, see you soon as I can get away from this latest dig, hope you have managed to get the smell of bog out of your trousers by now ! If not, I don't want to see you till you do, that was a truly awful stench !

Yours, as ever

M-L

\----

Oxford 1960

Con flung herself onto the ground and grabbed a meat pie from the plate in front of her. 

"So you got out of that tree ok then?" she asked while she munched away at the tasty pastry. 

"No, I got stuck half way, and I’m still there. Honestly Con, don't be any more of an idiot than you can help. And stop guzzling your way through my lunch! These are the closest things I can find to Karen's meat pies, and you gobble them like they are bread and butter"

The affection in her tone showed Con that she had been missed, despite the words. The middle triplet stuck her tongue out in response, but her eyes twinkled her own reply back at the girl lying beside her. "They ARE good. Covered Market?" she replied, as she sneaked another pie, almost daring her companion to retaliate. 

" They WERE, now I shall have to make do with half as many." 

"Ha, you can't fool me miss, you bought enough for two. I remember on those hugely accident prone hikes at school. You used to always pack a bit extra in your packed lunch in case you could sit close and share with me. I should have known then you had plans to lead me astray!"

She ducked, as a plate of empty crusts was thrown her way, barely missing her hair.

"You wait till I get you alone Constance Maynard. I shall expect some repayment for those pies and your insinuations on my character, you know! "

Con began to reply, but stopped short as she caught sight of her sister heading towards them. 

"Oh no! Not again! I do love my sister, but at the moment she keeps turning up like a bad penny whenever I get a chance to be alone with you!"

The girls turned to greet Len, subtly moving further apart, as she strode across the water meadows to join them. Len greeted them cheerily. 

"Hello Ted, hello Con! Any goodies left for me?"

Ted, short for Theodora, sat up fully and put on a mournful expression. 

"Now who decided that it was my job to feed you Maynards ? You will have to satisfy yourself with sandwiches my girl, your sister has just filched my last meat pie. "

Len chuckled. " We will have to invite you over to our rooms to make up for it then Ted. I don't think you’ve been to visit us there yet, have you? They are the rooms in the quad by that great big tree."

Len stopped in astonishment as Ted apparently had a sudden choking fit, quickly brushed off with an explanation of a crust going down the wrong way. Behind her sister's back Con made a fierce face at the unfortunate Ted, which had the opposite effect to that intended, sending her into further fits of the giggles. Giving up all hope of retrieving the situation, Con began to laugh too, vainly trying to explain their state by pointing out a boat narrowly avoiding a swan as it ploughed along the river. 

Len regarded them with a puzzled air. "That really isn't that funny you know Con. I do think you two might be working too much if you find such strange things funny." she searched her sister's naturally pale face anxiously as she spoke.

"I don't know about you Ted, but Con seems to shut herself away in her room to work an awful lot of the time. You really must get some exercise, it will do you a lot of good" she said seriously. 

Behind her, Ted stuffed her handkerchief into her mouth to restrain the giggles, causing tears to flow down her cheeks with the effort not to laugh out loud. 

"Thank you Len, I will try to get a bit more exercise " Con replied, struggling to keep a straight face herself. "Oh look, that boat has nearly hit a duck this time!"

Grabbing on to this feeble excuse, the girls gave in and roared with laughter, as Len stared from one to the other in bewilderment.


	10. Reg visits, and some letters

1960

Reg sat back in his chair and stretched, as the last patient of the day left the room. He shuffled her notes together, made a last few checks that he had collected all of the bits of paper, and went out to his secretary's desk. 

"Mrs Barrett will be back next week probably." he said to her. "Try not to give her an end of day appointment if you can. Lovely lady, but if she knows there is no one in the waiting room she will never stop talking!" 

She laughed and agreed. It was a small practice, and they tended to get to know the regular patients quite well. Mrs Barrett was one who really only had general aches and pains, most likely age related since she was 87. But her weekly visit to the doctor to grumble about them was about the only thing that made a difference now. 

When Reg had first joined the surgery, fresh from the driven, treatment focused atmosphere of the Platz, he had rebelled against this idea. He tried to "cure" everyone that he saw, sending them off for specialist visits all over the place. 

His practice partner had waited a few months to see if he would settle, and then taken him aside for a chat. "Sometimes there just is nothing that can be done, Reg." he said. "You need to accept that some of your patients will be back next week, whatever you do. If you solve one problem, they will come in with a different one."

Reg had found this hard to accept, saying that he ought not to be seeing them if that were the case. His partner shook his head, and tried to get the younger man to understand. 

"There's more than one type of medicine Reg" he said. "If seeing you for ten minutes brightens up an otherwise uneventful week, and that person goes out feeling better, who can say that it is any better or worse than giving them a pill for the pain? Half of these people wouldn't take the medicines anyway. If you can be sure within yourself that you have investigated every possibility, and that you haven't encouraged them to think they need to come in, that is all any of us can do"

Having finished for the day, Reg collect some files that he wanted to study further, and headed out to his boarding house. Dr Fothergill, his practice partner, watched him go with a slight frown at how tired he was looking. "That lad needs a holiday, or a bit more of a life outside work" he said to their secretary. 

She agreed, and told him about the young lady that Reg had been seen with. "Hasn't been back though," she finished. "Perhaps it wasn't to be"

Dr Fothergill said no more to her, but that evening Reg was suprised to find himself being invited over for a meal and plied with wine and gentle questions. Reg couldn't give details or names, but to his surprise, just talking about it helped. He slept better that night than he had for some time. 

***

 

A few weeks later, and many miles away, Margot sat alone watching the world go by, a diagram of the brain lying ignored in front of her.

"If in doubt, tell the patient to calm down, maybe go and have a smoke to relax" came a familiar voice behind her. 

"Reg!" she exclaimed. "Where did you come from?" 

" Well Margot, when a mummy and a daddy love each other very much they decide to get busy and ..."

She cut him off with a well aimed punch on the arm. "Idiot! You know what I mean! I thought you couldn't get any time off?"

Reg settled himself down beside her, careful to not sit as close as his instincts wanted to him to do. "Ah well you see there are very important developments in medicine going on here, I thought it was in the best interests of my patients if I made a trip to improve my knowledge. Luckily my practice partner wanted a weekend away fishing, so he agreed to cover this weekend if I did the next. "

Margot grinned from ear to ear. "Fantastic. Now how about we head somewhere more private, before another head girl appears to act as gooseberry ? Especially since most of the head girls I know of were actually members of the family!"

They rose and headed off into town, a fully appropriate distance apart, yet drawing nearer all the time as they made their way along the narrow streets.

***

 

Some letters

 

Dear Reg,

I hope your journey back was ok, and you didn't have too many delays on your way.

I'm writing this just ten minutes after seeing you off at the station. I'm still all smiles at the moment, still feeling so great after your wonderful surprise appearance. 

I loved having the time to sit and chat in private. I am so tempted to write to Mamma and Dad and tell them, just say we are getting married, there is nothing they can do about it. But then reality pushes back in, and I know that that will make life unnecessarily hard for both of us, since Dad could well cause you problems with all his contacts. I would like to think that he wouldn't, but I just don't know. 

Also, well even if we were officially engaged it wouldn't really mean that I can see you much more. After all I would still be studying and you be working. We might actually see each other less, as I might end up with more supervision. 

But I wanted you to know as soon as possible how much better everything seems having seen you. I just feel so much more positive about everything now. 

I will stop here, as I wish to get this letter sent as quickly as possible. 

I think I may have a weekend free in about a month's time, if you wanted to perhaps meet somewhere? 

With all my love,

Margot 

\------------------

Drs A.Fothergill & R.Entwhistle  
Bamdy End General Practice  
Bamdy End  
Yorkshire

\-------  
All enquiries to Miss Treetune, secretary to   
Drs Fothergill and Entwhistle.   
\-------

 

Dearest Margot, 

Please forgive me using the practice stationary, but I want to write this to you on the train, and this is all I have available. 

I still feel as though I can see you waving at me although we are far away already from where you stood to see me off. 

Did you know that your hair glows like fire in the afternoon sun? I have never really understood that sort of description in poems before, but when I looked to find you on the station platform it really was as if you were glowing and your image far brighter than anyone around you. The scientist in me says it must have been the angle of the light hitting the pigments in your hair, but I still don't think that explains it enough. 

Your digs do seem nice, I think your landlady was a little suspicious when we arrived - that was a good idea to keep the door open, she would only have been stuck to the other side of it with a glass to her ear otherwise ! 

I really enjoyed getting to know you a little more, we have had to snatch so many short moments that it still almost feels that we are just starting out together, despite being well past our first anniversary. Can you call it an anniversary if you aren't married? I don't know, but it is still something we perhaps should have celebrated. 

I am so much happier now that I have seen you, and can now imagine where you are when I write to you, or telephone you.

I will sign off now, as I have about half an hour to wait for the connecting train at my next stop, so I am going to search for a post box in the hope that you will get this letter soon and know that I was thinking of you. 

I am determined now that we need to meet more often, I hope that you feel the same - or rather, that you agree with me that the risk is worth taking. 

With Love,

Reg

 

 

Some Letters – Summer Holidays 1960

 

Dearest T, 

I hope you are surviving the hols. Say hello to your brother for me, and tell him I will try to bring some of Anna's Lemon biscuits when I finally escape and can make my way back to you. I make no promises though, the boys are back, and I know for a fact that Charles has plans to snaffle as many as he can before he leaves. He is to be Head Boy next year, and seems to feel his authority will rest on his ability to bring back some of Anna's baking. 

Now, before you tell me to 'get on, stop blathering about food all the time' (And don't pretend you weren't thinking it, I know you Miss Grantley!) I do have a point to my letter, and a very interesting one on our side I feel. 

I know you have thought before that Len must surely have some clue as to the state of things between us. Well, I am afraid you have lost your bet. I'll have to start at the beginning. Are you sitting comfortably?

Well, we arrived back here, as ever, before the school term had ended, so for the first few days we kept meeting walks of all descriptions, having to explain all sorts of things about Oxford, and have the girls exclaim over the babies. Surely we were never that bad, you would think most of this rabble had never seen an infant ! As part of this bombardment of school girls, some of the more inquisitive little horrors kept managing to bring up Reg, until Len was being driven to distraction. 

So to save her sanity, one day we sent the rest off with the littlies, and took a different route up into the pine trees. I'm willing to wager you may have some memory of the route once you hear the rest. 

Well we hadn't been going too long when we saw a sign of the uniform passing through the trees just ahead. We had climbed quite high by now, so we thought that we would just risk it and head on. We came out at an empty herdsman's hut ( I see a possible twinkle in your eye as you perhaps begin to guess some of what is to follow)

By this time we had nearly caught up with the girls, and Len had recognised them as Jack and Jane. The little idiots however had no thought that anyone was near, and you guessed it, disappeared off into the hut. Well Len, in true innocent style, assumed some level of ordinary mischief.

I, having a fair idea what was going on, tried my best to slow her down and divert her from going up there. But it really was as if the fates were insisting on intervening, for I suddenly got completely stuck in some brambles. By the time I had worked my way free she had reached the hut and flung the door open. I can see your face as you read this, which is making me giggle to write it. Suffice to say that, the two of them were most definitely engaged in "extracurricular activities!"

Although personally I would say it was nothing to write home about, after all they are only kids. But plenty enough for Len to have her eyes opened once and for all! Oh my dear, she was so shocked. I do believe she had no idea such situations existed. 

I feel so sorry for Jack, what worse person to find you than your childhood hero and mentor! I grabbed Len away, and just told them to get themselves tidied up and head back off to school, Len was in no state to comment. 

I know what you will ask next, but I don't feel we can bring her further up to date about us, she is very quiet at present, I think it has shaken her whole world view. She does care for Jack. What is encouraging to me is that she hasnt gone into any sort of "fire and brimstone" or negative viewpoint. 

I dont think she dissaproves,as much as that she just had no idea about these things at all. I was at least slightly aware with all my interest in history, and you, well you I think were BORN aware of such things! She simply won't discuss it however, and I don't like to push, as I am too much of a coward. I don't want to hear her condemn something I know I can't help. 

Apologies for such a lengthy screed, but I hope that the contents will have made up for the time spent reading. Write back and tell me your reaction, do. 

As ever your "affectionate friend"

Con

 

Dearest Con, 

You can't believe how much fun I had reading your latest letter. I would guess from your description that this is the very herdsman's hut that we used to "accidentally" walk near when bad weather was threatening? (and plenty of times when it wasn't!)

Oh I can't even begin to imagine what Jack and Jane are thinking right now. Please tell me you managed to go across to the school and put them out of their misery, at least as far as you were concerned.

That hut really is a thoroughfare of "mischief" isn't it! Do you remember that time when we, little idiots that we were, forgot to bar the door, only to have to suddenly hide under a pile of rugs when Miss Ferrars and Miss Wilmot came in? 

I nearly died when I realised they were there for the same reason as us. I'm glad they realised the time before anything too graphic occurred. Even now my little brain can't really cope with the idea of teachers having their own lives in that way ! 

It's a bit like walking in on a parent or older sibling (the latter of which, yes I have accidently done. I was NOT popular with my brother, as you can imagine! I am amazed he still lets me stay here in the hols, we certainly didn't look one another in the eye for quite a while after that!)

Please do keep me informed, although hopefully it won't be long now before you are back with me. It is very cold sleeping alone when you are used to someone there. Can't you see if you can manage a visit earlier than planned, to save me from hypothermia? Surely Len might want to visit Ros or some of your many relatives ?

As ever, stocking up on food for your return

Yours always,

Ted

*** 

 

Dearest T, 

I will ignore that comment about food, this need to feed me is completely in your imagination. I also refuse to incriminate myself about any assignations in herdsman’s huts.

I do wish you would remember that not all of us have as compact and uncurious a family as yours, and also that I am not the only C Maynard in this house! I came distressingly close to Charles being given your last letter, thank goodness he was distracted by a letter for him postmarked from his school, and I was able to nab this back when I saw your scrawl. 

This is a quick note to say that our plotting has paid off. Len has been invited to go back two weeks early to stay at in Cornwall with Bride, and I can come to stay with you alone without having to hurt Len by not wanting her along. 

I feel bad even thinking that, but with her so close at Oxford and at home, she does cramp our style rather. 

Thank goodness for such an understanding cousin. If I didn't have at least one person in the family I could confide in, I would go stark raving mad ! 

Must run, I want to catch the post so that this gets to you before I arrive on your doorstep. 

Love as ever,

Con


	11. Back to Kirren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Josie are always described as Ge's Neice and Nephew, though the relationship is more like mother and children.

1960 Summer Holidays – Kirren Bay

Len raised her nose in the air, taking deep breaths of the clear sea air. As she walked along the cliffs she felt her worries begin to slightly fade. Her brain revelled in the peace of being able to go for a walk alone after being in the chaos of a busy family.

She had slept poorly since her accidental discovery of Jack and Jane, and couldn't work out what to feel or think about it all. All sorts of thoughts buzzed around her head, not least the fact that Jack had so clearly hero worshipped Len for years, without it occurring to her at all that it was more than admiration for a mentor. Len was now unsure how to react to Jack, but didn't want to lose her as a friend.

'I just thought of Jack liking me as being like me being friends with Pru' she thought silently 'and there was nothing deeper in that... Well, I don’t think there was? I never thought of her that way at the time.’

'But you did miss her hugely when she left school' came back the response unbidden from her overactive mind. That had been a bad time for Len. Not being able to smile at Pru from across the Spieshaal or chat occasionally between lessons had made Len feel quite alone, in a way that had slightly surprised her.

She sat down on a bench facing over the bay, her eyes gazing unseeing out over the sparkling sea. A tiny voice within her was trying to find words to explain the deeper issue within. Finally, she surprised herself by saying her final thoughts out loud.

" I didnt miss Reg anything like as much as I missed her ! "

"Well that’s an interesting conversation you are having with the sea there my girl !" returned an amused voice behind her. Len turned in shock, trying desperately to remember what she had said out loud.   
A tall woman in fisherman's waterproofs stood behind her, with a tanned face in stark contrast to brilliant blue eyes. These eyes were showing a clear amusement at the young girl's confusion. "I’d intended on introducing myself in a more polite fashion, but you can't go around saying things as intriguing as that without some sort of response, you know!"

The woman paused, clearly expecting some sort of reply. All Len could do was open and close her mouth. Finally the woman took pity on her. 

"Let's start again shall we? I'm Ge, said as Gee, but spelt G-E. I can't be doing with unnecessary writing, there are far better things to be doing with one's time. People call me Aunt Ge, Miss Ge, or just plain Ge. I'm too young for you to call me Aunt, I rarely answer to Miss, so I recommend you call me Ge. Do you have a name, or has it been stolen along with your voice?"

"I'm ...er...Len, I mean Helena Maynard..."

"I thought as much, you are very much like your cousin. Since you’re the only stranger I’ve seen in weeks, and as your cousin seemed to think you’d disappeared off in this direction, I thought it pretty likely that 2 and 2 would make 4 in this case. Generally tends to happen, though I have known it make 5 in some cases." 

Len was beginning to recover from her confusion, and ventured a grin back at her cheery assailant. 

"That's better, anyone would think a moment ago that I had come along to push you off the cliff. I don't intend doing that any time soon, so how about we walk as we make each other's acquaintance." She followed her actions to her words and strode off down the hill, leaving Len no real choice but to follow her

***

Back at the house, Bride chuckled as she saw the slight figure of her young cousin follow the bright yellow form of her formidable friend. 

"What has you so amused there?" asked a firm clear voice from across the room behind her.

 

"Len. She has been moping about since she arrived. I've taken matters into my own hands - take a look. " Bride replied, as she stepped to the side. 

Her companion was a sturdily built young woman with close cropped hair and a general air of strength and self sufficiency. Born with the name Lucinda, she had been known for most of her life as Tom, and it was a name that suited. With a good natured grumble she heaved herself out of the armchair and peered out through the window. 

Catching sight of the eccentric souwestered figure of Ge, with Len an anxious duckling behind, she let out a hearty laugh and turned back toward Bride. "So you’ve set Ge loose on her, what did the poor girl do to deserve that?"

"Well she’s driving poor Con mad with constantly hanging around with her and Ted, the poor girl doesn't know how to tell Len that she needs a bit of privacy. For one so old before her time in many ways, Len is beautifully innocent in others."

"Ha! So you are trying to play match maker are you ? What makes you think Len is even interested in women, or has Con told you more than I know?"

"You know as much as I do Tom, but Ge isn't stupid. If she thinks it isn't Len's cup of tea she will still be a good friend for Len to have around. And if Len remains an innocent about some women not being set for a life of babies with a nice male doctor after spending time with Ge, then I wash my hands of her. After all, Ge isnt likely to remember to change pronouns for long, if she even bothers to try to pretend."

Bride moved away from the curtains and passed over to the comfortable chairs. 

"Now, never mind any more about my young cousin's education, tell me more about this latest dolls house. It sounds like it could be the best one yet !"

***

A week later Len was almost back to her normal confident self. Ge taught her to sail a small fishing boat, and they explored all along the coastline, enjoying the late summer sun until late in the evening. Len's worries died away as Ge wisely left the subject of their first meeting alone and concentrated on pointing out the best places to fish, swim and climb. 

This day Ge had packed a picnic and taken Len over to a small island in the middle of the bay. All along one side were stones and signs of an old ruin, Len thought they looked like a fort, or possibly a castle. Some of the stones had been used to build a storage shed near the beach. Ge unlocked the shed door and brought out some blankets, plates and glasses. 

"Very organised." commented Len. 

Ge smiled and handed her some potted meat sandwiches and a bottle of ginger beer from the picnic basket. "I used to come here all the time, years ago. I thought these ought to still be here. I didn't quite dare to trust there would be any food, but it looks like there are some tins of pineapple there too if you fancy some later."

Len enjoyed the meal, basking in the warm sunshine. "It always feels a treat to me, to have ginger beer. At school we usually took lemonade on walks, well we did when we remembered it!" Len said.

Ge smiled lazily in reply. She had settled down in a hollow she had dug into the sand and was beginning to drift to sleep. Seeing this Len kept quiet for a bit, and soon she heard faint snores from Ge as she dozed. Len allowed her mind to begin to wander, taking advantage of the first moment with space to think for many days. 

'I feel so much better for this past week of exercise. Ge has been like a breath of fresh air.' she pondered, watching a rabbit hop out from the long grass and sniff cautiously Ge's hand, then dart away as Ge moved in her sleep. Len found herself following the contours of Ge's face, finishing on the closed eyelids. There was a peacefulness about her in sleep that rarely appeared during the day.

Len was still recovering from a hectic visit to Ge's home the previous day, where she met Ge's twin niece and nephew. They had decided very quickly that Len was their own personal property and had shown her all around the area, dragging her from beach to farm to caves and back again. Ge had kept pace with them as if she were much younger than she was. 

In fact Len had been surprised to find out that the dynamic woman was several years older than herself. 'A year younger than Reg, in fact.' went the little voice in her head.' but he always seemed so much older than me. Ge, well she is... Ge. You can't put an age to her.'

Len smiled at the comparison, away in a world of the past few days with Ge. 

Then, with a jolt of embarrassment, she realised that Ge's eyes were now open, and staring straight into her own.

***

Bride glanced out of the window at the sky overhead. 

"There's a storm brewing I feel" she commented to Tom, who was concentrating on a particularly awkward chimney on her latest dolls house that just refused to sit straight. 

"Hmmm?" she replied absently.

"I hope Ge and Len aren't too far from shelter, it is coming in fast from the looks of that sky"

Picking up on the worry in Bride's voice, Tom left the dolls house and came to the window. "You’re right about that sky. Where did they say they were going today ?"

"Over to Ge's island."

"To the Island!"

"I know ! I thought that was a good sign. At least on Ge's side. I just don't know with Len, she keeps her feelings pretty deeply hidden. Wait, let me get the binoculars and I will check if the boat is there... Hmmm, yes that’s Ge's boat alright pulled up on the beach. She must have been pretty distracted to have not noticed the weather" 

Tom missed the possible implication and replied seriously. "Well if they are on the island they can go into Ge's hut. She sometimes used to sleep over there before a morning's fishing, so she she has it set up pretty comfortably in there, even if they can't get back tonight." 

"And so how many nights did you spend there then?" teased Bride. 

"That's for me to know and you to find out" retorted Tom, returning to her dolls house. "They are safe enough there anyway, if the storm is coming as quickly as it seems to be. Ge will know not to risk a small boat on the rocks in bad weather" 

Bride remained at the window. "I hope you are right, this looks to be a real scorcher of a storm coming"

***

 

Len tried to move her eyes from Ge's but found them unable to move far without flicking back. Finally she managed it, starting to clear the remains of the picnic, choosing to look down at the plates as she washed them in the stream, then set them aside to dry. 

"We ought to be getting back soon shouldn’t we?" she said over her shoulder. 

Ge shook herself and properly looked around her for the first time. "Drat it!” She exclaimed. "Look at that sky. There isn't time to get back. Quickly, help me pull the boat well up on the shore then we had better head into the hut to avoid getting drenched."

They hurried about their tasks, and made it to the hut just as huge drops of rain began to fall.

"Phew!" Ge said. " Sorry Len, I didn't see that coming at all. We were due some bad weather this evening, but I thought we would be well back before it started."

"It doesn't bother me, although I do hope Bride won't worry" 

"Not she! Tom is staying with her at the moment, she and I have spent many a night here...uh, um...it's a good spot for... um ...late night fishing you know." Ge's explanation petered out, and she busied herself with rearranging the items in the shed to make the space more comfortable.

"Ge..." Len began. " I know we haven't known each other that long really, but may I ask you something personal?"

Ge distracted herself with some blankets she had found in a locker. "Well that depends on the question now, doesn't it" was ultimate reply. 

Len steeled herself for dissapointment. "Are you and Tom, I mean, do you, er... Um ... I never seem to see any signs of you being interested in, well marriage and settling down, and she, well she has always been more of a boy than a girl in lots of ways and..." 

Len's courage left her, and her cheeks burned crimson at even suggesting the situation as mildly as she had.

Ge didn't reply straight away. 

"You want to know if we are, or were an item?" she finally answered. 

Len, overcome with embarrassment, nodded and focussed carefully on a small chink in the doorframe as if it were of great importance. 

"It's not common knowledge, Len, and this is important. It would be impossible for Tom to continue with her work with the boys clubs if people were to find out. But in answer to what I think was your question. Yes..."

Len tried not to feel disappointed. After all, Tom was her friend, as was Ge. But her ears suddenly picked up the rest of the sentence. 

"Yes, we WERE involved. No, we are not involved now" Ge said, her own twinkle in her eyes beginning to return as she noticed Lens initial response. "Now, as we are sharing - who was the "her" I heard you talking to yourself about when we met?"

Len paused, unsure whether to say or not, then in a rush she found herself telling the whole story. Finding Jack and Jane in the herdsman's hut, Jack having hero worshipped Len for years, the broken engagement with Reg, and finally her own realisation about how much more intense her feelings for Pru had been than anything she had ever felt for Reg.

As she finished, she looked up at Ge, still slightly expecting an expression of disgust. All she saw was an unusual softness in the vivid eyes, and a gentle smile on her face. 

"Well done Len. That isn't something easy to admit. In fact there are not a lot of people you can admit that to without them being shocked. I'm glad you felt you could confide in me. Do you think Pru feels the same way? 

Len was shocked into looking up directly into Ge's eyes. "No, its you, I mean, I ... Pru, I haven't been thinking about Pru now, I mean..."

Ge's smile became a grin "Well, I think we might well be on the same page at last." and she chortled as a memory struck her "I don't know if it is the same place, but I'm sure I have some sort of memory of Tom telling me about meeting someone in a herdsman's hut in her final year. She never would say who it was. This sounds like a most interesting place, your home." she teased. 

Len started to see the funny side of the situation, and for the first time thought about how shocked Jack and Jane must have been to have been caught like that. She began to laugh, shortly followed by Ge as she explained her thoughts to her.   
Ge recovered first. 

"Well I’m glad we’ve 'broken the ice' Len. I haven't been at all sure whether you were aware of who and how I am, and it has been hard to remember to be careful." She paused and went over to the window before continuing.

"Now. I think we may be here for some time. There’s no one likely to reach the island for a few hours, so no chance of innocents barging in on us. I ... Er ... I can't offer you a herdsman's hut, but would a fisherwoman's hut do instead?"

Len almost held her breath as she realised what Ge meant. She looked straight at Ge again as she said. "I think a fisherwoman's hut could well be a good substitute, since there aren't any herdsman's huts available..." 

Ge smiled and pulled the curtain across the window.


	12. Almost a farce, so many unnecessary secrets.

Len sat in the train carriage back to Oxford, Ge's last words ringing in her ears. 

"Don't be ashamed Len, but be cautious. Think carefully before you tell anyone, people can be less forgiving than you think. "

The fields passed by in a blur as Len tried to decide what to do. Should she tell Con? Margot she felt she could perhaps wait to tell. They had become less close to since they had gone to different universities, it was rare for them to spend any time alone together now. 

Although Margot would always be her triplet, it was Con who had been almost more like a twin to Len, while Margot had spent that time away in Canada and had often gone her own way and had her own friends. 

So it was Con who Len felt concerned about now. She knew Con loved her, but what if Con was as shocked and distressed as she herself had been to discover Jack and Jane. Len could take most people's disapproval, but losing Con would be more than she could bear. 

Len wanted to tell her, but how?

***

Some Letters – Autumn Term 1960

 

Dear Bride, 

Thank you again for asking Len to stay, she has come back more herself than she has been for years. She accidently let slip about someone that she had spent time with while away, was there some romance involved, do you know? 

I hope he is a better man for her than Reg, is all that I can say. She certainly seems happier than she has been for a long time. 

I am a little worried about something though. She has almost been avoiding me since she returned, although just as friendly as ever when we are together. I know I ought not to complain, after all it allows T and I to spend time together more openly, which is a relief. But something isn't quite right. You didn't tell her about us did you? I know that would get me out of my dilemma, but I really think I want to tell her myself, if she doesn't already know. We are triplets after all. 

Please pass my love on to everyone there, and if you see Peggy make a fuss of the tinies for me. 

Your ever grateful cousin, 

Con. 

\---------

Oh Con!

You two are so funny! This has to be a quick note, as I’m rushed off my feet here. I can't really answer any of that without betraying all sorts of confidences. All I WILL say is that I didn't tell her, but that I think that you should. You won't always be able to shovel Ted out of a window, and if you don't tell Len soon you risk a Jack & Jane situation, which will embarrass both sides. 

One hint I will give you.I don't think it will turn out the way you are worried it will. Be brave and I think she will surprise you. 

Love, 

Bride

\------------------------

December 1960

Mary Lou left the station and set off decisively in the direction of the university. As she came up to the Medical School building, she suddenly changed direction, as she saw a familiar red gold head in the grounds just outside. Margot was sitting with eyes closed, chanting under her breath, surrounded and partly covered by pieces of paper and thick textbooks. 

"I was under the impression that you were training to be a medic, not immersing yourself in witchcraft !" began the elder girl, causing Margot to start and disturb a neat pile of her notes into a cloud of papers. 

"Mary Lou! What are you doing here? There's nothing wrong is there? Is everyone alright?" Margot exclaimed in concern. 

"No, everyone’s fine. But I wanted to know what you mean by your last letter. Why don't you want to go back for Christmas? I know you’re not going to be with Reg, as he wrote to me himself, worried about you being alone. So what’s going on?"

Margot bristled slightly at the mention that Reg had been writing to Mary Lou, then obviously recognised that they were both just concerned for her. "Let me just get together my things, and we'll head off to find somewhere more appropriate to talk."

As they settled down to a bowl of soup and crusty bread, Margot began to explain.  
"It's nothing too terrible Mary Lou. It is just, well - the atmosphere at home. It isn't nice to be around anymore. I can't look Len in the eye... and Con is so perceptive I am almost afraid to spend time with her for fear of saying too much. The boys are all occupied with their own dramas, something has gone on last year at school that Charles is all worried about, but he won't say what’s wrong. Stephen seems to just be wanting to spend all his time out walking, and Mike is just too young to be much company. 

Mamma has been ill a lot recently, and I don't feel like spending too much time with Dad at the moment. I know it’s unfair, but I do resent the fact that his anger to Reg is part of why we have to hide like this... And I have so much to learn for my exams, as you saw when you arrived. I just don't want to spend ages travelling to be somewhere I don't want to be, with people I can't be honest with. So...so thats it. I'm not going. "

Mary Lou waited until the outburst was finished. "I understand Margot, that all makes a lot of sense" she began. Margot raised her head and looked at her in surprise. 

"I don't mean that I agree about you staying here " Mary Lou continued. "You need a break, and you shouldn't have to spend Christmas alone if you don't have to. Let me think for a minute."

She rolled some thoughts around in her head for a few moments. "How well do you trust Bride? " She asked Margot finally. "I have an idea, but as I can't be around much at the moment to talk to, I think you ought to have someone else you can confide in"

Margot considered. "Well I like Bride, but I don't really know her hugely well. She is a fair bit older than us, and whether she would keep my secret I just don't know."

Mary Lou nodded, as if she had made a decision. "Leave it to me. Bride can be trusted, she’s had plenty of secrets to keep in her time. None that I am going to tell you!" She added, seeing the look of curiosity on Margot's face. Margot laughed and they went on to general gossip until Mary Lou had to leave.

 

***

Dear Aunty Jo,

May I beg a favour of you please ? Could you let me keep your triplets here in England over the Christmas hols ? It’s such a short break this time, by the time they get back over to you they will almost have to begin to pack to return. 

The rest of the family are spread to the far winds at the moment, so we had resigned ourselves to a rather quiet Christmas here.

However I have just received a letter from Mary Lou asking me if I could provide a place to stay for Margot. As I'm sure you know by now, Margot wants to stay at university to study, and no one so far has been able to dissuade her from this. 

Mary Lou, it seems has managed to persuade her to at least get away from the campus over the break. If you agree we will be happy to take her. We can supervise her and stop her overdoing it here far better than if she stayed at university. 

Well, since I knew I had to write to you to ask for one cousin, I thought I would follow the wholesale tradition of the family and ask for all three. Len had a great time here in the summer holidays - our sea air does seem to greatly agree with her. And I know that Con would feel quite left out to go back without her sisters. I believe a friend of hers is to be in the area over the holiday too, so I am sure she will be happy to go along with the plan.

So can you bear to spare them to us for once? I know you haven't been well, so three fewer tired students could well be a blessing, and I will make sure to pack them off to you for the Easter holiday, so you won't have too long to mourn their absence! 

Will look forward to your reply, I haven't mentioned anything yet to the triplets, in case you said no, but I feel it will be good for them to spend some time together, so I do hope you agree. 

Kiss the babies for me, although they are starting to be little people really now really, arent they ? So don't tell them I called them that. 

Your loving niece,

Bride.

 

***

 

My dear Bride, 

I'm sure I have told you that you can drop the Aunty part. I always know when you want something, the title somehow slides it's way back in. 

I sense an ulterior motive with all this, confirmed by the fact that our one and only Mary Lou seems to be right in the middle of it all. With yourself a knowing accomplice in crime I might add. You can't get anything past me my girl. 

Oh, don't worry, I will let you have the girls. The three of them were completely out of sorts at their last visit, Len and Con keep writing to me separately, which is far too much effort unless they are not spending much time together. And I admit I was worried about Margot and this sudden desire to study all the time. 

Mary Lou has clearly managed to get involved there in her true capacity of "butting in", and you seem to be following her example championally (or she is following yours?). 

If the two of you can find out what is wrong with my girls I will be very grateful. If you can get them to tell me, or allow you to do so, that will be even better, but I will wait quietly in the wings until such time as I am allowed to know. 

Oh, and you are beautifully vague about Con's "friend". I am fairly sure I know who it likely to be, and if you can get my girl to be brave enough to tell me herself, I would always be happy to have Ted with us here, although it might take some time for Jack to get used to the idea. 

Now don't try to pretend you don't know what I am talking about, I wasn't born yesterday! Ted is a good girl, if terribly indiscreet. Not that my Con-girl is much of a mistress of stealth. If she will hide letters in her coat lining, she really ought to remember to do it in her own coat, not mine! Poor girl, our coats really do look alike, she would be mortified if she realised I knew, I am sure! It will have to remain our little secret until she sees fit to tell me. 

Send my love to everyone there, and I hope to have some happier girls back at Easter, if your plotting works. 

All love, 

Jo


	13. Some daftness

Chrismas Holidays 1960

 

Len was once again looking out of the window of a train, only this time returning to Cornwall. The past term had been a tiring one, made all the more stressful by the conflict within her about telling Con and after her the rest of the family. 

Now they were heading to Cornwall together, and Len didn't know what to think or feel. She had been so happy to hear that she would be able to see Ge so much sooner than she thought she would. But then she realised that with Con and Margot there, it would be hard to get time alone. And what if they didn't get on with Ge? Ge did find it so very hard not to show her true nature. Len worried that her sisters would be shocked, maybe disgusted. Len didn't know what Ge would do or say if that happened. 

And where were she and Ge heading anyway? Len loved her studies and the idea of teaching, and didn't want to give them up. But would someone openly living like this be allowed to teach? Ge would never be able to keep hidden, Len could see that. All of the local people were used to her and barely considered her as unusual any more. Len was sure that Ge would never settle anywhere else. But there couldn't be many schools in the area, it was too wild and desolate a place. 

Len allowed herself a daydream where she was teaching at an imaginary local high school, and able to live with Ge. But her family kept intruding on her thoughts. What would they think? Was she strong enough to stand up to them ? Was she sure enough to risk losing them? Her head felt hot and heavy as she leant against the train window, waiting for Con to get back from the buffet car.

 

*** 

 

Margot sat beside Mary Lou as she drove through the winding village lanes. 

"I can't believe you and Bride didn't tell me about the other two coming here too! I’m trying to escape atmosphere, not just move location. I should have stayed behind at university." she raged, for the twentieth time. 

Mary Lou simply concentrated on the road ahead, doing her best not to scrape the car against too many of the rocky stone walls.

"No wonder you offered to drive me, you didn't want me to be able to back out. Now I will have to face Len and Con alone, without even the boys or the kids as an excuse to escape."

Mary Lou turned the car into a wider road and breathed a sigh of relief. "You already know what I think Margot. You three are too close to be allowed to go on avoiding one another like this. Bride won't tell me how she knows, but she thinks that there is a very good chance that Len will not be at all concerned about Reg, and if that is the case then this has gone on long enough. I don't think Uncle Jack is ready to know about you and Reg, but you will never be able to settle until you tell Len. Now be quiet for a bit, I need to concentrate on these evil roads. There seem to be far more than our fair share of cliffs around here."

Margot subsided and kept quiet, her moodiness still a cloud over the whole car. Inside, Mary Lou hoped to herself that Bride knew what she was doing. If she didn't have a long planned break with Tony to head off to the following day, she would have preferred to stay and see the holiday out. With Margot in this mood there was sure to be fireworks. It was just a question of when.

***

 

In the buffet car, Con waited to get two cups of tea and something to eat for her and Len. It was shortly before the service closed and the only types of food available were some fig rolls and some rather soggy looking biscuits. Con was fairly sure that they weren't lemon, nor particularly worth having, but it was a long way before the next stop so they would have to do. 

Her mind was, in contrast to her sisters, not occupied with woes and worries, but happily scheming on the next move for two main characters in her latest story. They had gone along quite a different road from the one she had intended for them, but finally as she stood there waiting, they proved to her that their judgement of where the story should go was quite correct, and Con was well away into a world of her own. 

She completely forgot about Len waiting for her back in the carriage, and bought both teas to a table near the buffet station and sat down to drink them and plot her way through her characters trials and tribulations. 

Len, waiting for her to return, fell into an uneasy doze, her head leaning uncomfortably against the carriage wall.

 

 

***

"Here comes the train, finally ! Look out for them Margot, they might not be sure of the stop."

Bride scanned the carriages and sighed with relief when she saw Len in one as the train drew in. She frowned in confusion to see Con in a different one, but didn't think much of it, until she realised that neither girl had started to move off the train. Confused, Bride went a bit closer to check it really was Len, she didn't want to start trying to attract the attention of a complete stranger. As she reached the window and realised it was Len, but a Len that was fast asleep, the train suddenly began to move out of the station.

 

"What are we going to do?" worried Bride. "Len was so deeply asleep, she could well stay like that until the train reaches the end of the line. I don't know what is going on with Con, but the little glance I had at her face makes me wonder if her characters have got hold of her brain again. She looked hugely dreamy. If that’s the case the train could go back and forth for days before she would notice!"

"Well does it really matter ?" asked Margot, trying not to be glad for a brief respite from having to find a way to confess to her sisters. "Surely they can just get another train back can't they? It will cost them extra, but that will teach them to pay attention next time!"

Bride shook her head.

"You don't understand, this train was one with limited stops, put on specially for the Christmas holidays. It goes all the way down into Cornwall without many stops. There won't be a train back until tomorrow morning, and I am not sure if there will even be one then."

Margot's relief vanished, as she realised the situation was more serious than she thought. "Is there anyone you know in the next stop along who might get them off the train for us ? "

"That is what I am just trying to think, but nobody comes to mind." Bride replied. " I think what I will have to do is go and find a friend of mine who knows more people around here. Oh drat those two, why couldn't they pay attention?"

***

Ge listened in silence. Her answer, when it came was characteristically direct and to the point. 

"Bride, do stop wittering. The next large stop on the line is Wolmington. I have a friend there, an ornithologist by name of Trent. He’s a big radio user, has to be with the places he goes out to find wild birds. I'll get on to him, get him to stop them so they don't end up any further down the line. If you lend me your car I will drive over now and hopefully be bringing them back within an hour or so"

She looked at Margot. "You had better come with me to get your sisters. We may have to split up to find them if Trent doesn’t catch them at the next stop. Also  
it's a long journey, gives us some time to get to know one another. "

Margot agreed, although a little bewildered why this friend of Bride's was wanting to know her better.

***

Jack Trent stood on the platform and watched the train come in. He had had a word with the station master to allow him on the train, now he just had to work out who they were in a crowd of holiday travellers. He didn’t have much time, the master had made it quite clear that this train had a tight schedule and would not stay long. 

Ge's message had been less than helpful, with the description "Girl, tall, chestnut hair, beautiful eyes, the other one is her triplet sister, apparently they are not identical though. Oh and seems they might not be sitting together." 

He reached up to his shoulder and scratched the head of his parrot Kiki affectionately. "Remind me to tell Ge she is an idiot won't you Kiki. Beautiful eyes indeed. Does she expect me to go staring into the eyes of every tall girl on the train? 

Kiki cracked her beak and nibbled his ear gently to show she was listening.

***

Meanwhile, in the train, Len was still fast asleep, her neck wedged uncomfortably into position, but at least she was without the frown that had taken over her face lately. 

Con finally managed to wrestle her characters into some sort of logical plot, and began to surface from her happy daze. As she came back to reality she looked in puzzlement at the two cups of cold tea in front of her. Why did she have two? 

In a rush, she remembered where she was, and that Len must have been waiting over an hour for a tea that had never arrived. The buffet was now closed, so she gave the drinks up as a bad job and fought her way along the train back towards her sister, bracing herself for being teased for drifting off into her own world for so long. It had been a long time since she had drifted so far from reality, Ted had managed to keep a watchful eye on her recently, and avoid her getting into too many scrapes. 

She reached the carriage and saw to her relief that Len appeared to have fallen asleep. She might not have to admit the dreaminess at all. Con settled down next to Len and looked out of the window to see which station they had reached.

***

 

Jack was having a real problem scanning the train as it came in. It was too hard to tell through a window what colour someone's hair was or if they were tall or not. He mentally cursed Ge again and resigned himself to having to get onto the train. 

On board there was still a crowd of people, and it was taking far too long to get along inside the train. Suddenly he stopped, said something to Kiki and stood at one end of the corridor. Kiki made a few noises, then let out her express train screech. The crowds in the carriage fell immediately silent and looked at Jack. 

"Thanks Kiki. Sorry everyone, I am looking for a Con and Len Maynard, anyone here by that name ? 

As the people all shook their heads, he hopped off and into the next carriage. He repeated the question, this time prefaced by the sound of a lawnmower starting up, with no luck. Getting more frustrated every time, he repeated this with all of the carriages. As he left the final one, it was just in time, for the train began to move just after he reached the platform. 

"If this is a joke, it’s a very poor one on Ge's part" he said to Kiki in irritation " And if it isn't a joke, well where have those girls gone?"

***

 

In the car, Margot sat in silence, unsure what to say to this extraordinary person. Ge was concentrating on driving as fast as she safely could through the winding roads. 

Margot hadn't been able to help over hearing Ge on the radio, and the "beautiful eyes" comment had struck her as slightly odd. Out of the corner of her eye Margot observed her companion, taking in the rough fisherman’s jumper, jeans and man’s cap. She was aware of the possibility of two woman together, having received a letter from her best friend Emerence Hope a few years before, telling her about a girl that Emerence had met and fallen for, but swearing Margot to secrecy. The letter had surprised her, but being a fairly self centred and heedless person she had simply put the matter to the back of her mind and thought no more about it. There were a couple of women on her course who were rumoured to be interested in women that way, and they fitted the stereotype of being generally masculine in appearance and manner. 

This woman, dressed and acting like a man, and clearly quite strongly invested in making sure Len was ok, made Margot a little uneasy.


	14. More confusion

Back on the station platform Jack took a final look around the empty station and gave up. He headed out to find his car, still scanning the area around the station in a vain hope he might have missed them getting off the train. Seeing no sign of anyone he went over to his car. Suddenly he noticed two people in a phone box a hundred yards or so down the road. One quite clearly had chestnut hair, they had suitcases with them and were obviously worried about something. 

In the phone box Len and Con were anxiously counting out their change.   
"We will just have to ask the operator to help us find the number" Len said "I just wish I could remember whether they had a phone refitted. I know they were debating whether to bother after all those issues every year with the line coming down in the storms."

Suddenly there came a knock on the glass door. A cheerful looking man with freckles and red hair was standing outside the box waving to them to come out. On his shoulder sat a parrot, who was looking in at them quizzically with her head on one shoulder.

***

Margot was finding the silence too overwhelming and decided to start a conversation - any conversation! "So, do you live near to Bride then?"  
She asked.

"Not far." was the rather short reply. 

For once in her life Ge was nervous. Len was the first person since the twin’s mother that she really felt she could care deeply for, despite the risk of being hurt again. 

But this family sounded very complicated, and Ge was very afraid that Len was just too young to resist the pressure of being considered immoral or an outcast. Families could be very unforgiving of things they didnt understand, as she had learnt to her cost. 

The only thing Ge knew about this sister sitting next to her was that she had been heading towards being a nun until very recently. That implied a religious sensibility that Ge had learned long ago did not often sit well with her lifestyle. She had asked Margot along on the spur of the moment, but was now regretting it, almost afraid to start any conversations that might reveal her true feelings for Len. 

Margot hunted for something else to say, but gave up as her questions were all met with brief answers. Finally Ge relented and asked her about her family. As Margot discussed them, the keen eyed girl noticed how Ge perked up noticeably at any description of Lens exploits. Finally she suggested that she was tired and would let Ge concentrate on the road.

Margot retreated back into her thoughts. 'This woman is definitely interested in Len. They must have met while Len was down here in the summer.’ She thought. ‘I suppose there is no harm in it, just because she’s interested doesn't mean she would necessarily make any kind of move about it.' she mused, as the car finally entered the outskirts of the town. 'Best thing to do I believe will be to just keep Len company as much as possible, so that this Ge person doesn't get the chance to get the wrong idea. She seems nice enough, chances are it needn't go anywhere that would embarrass Len. Both she and Con are so unworldly in many ways, I would be surprised if they are even aware of the possibility of two women together'

***

 

Ge drove the car up towards the station and saw with relief that Jack had obviously managed to find the girls, who were clearly being entertained by Kiki's phrases and antics. The next few towns along were large and had bad reputations for being insular and having high crime levels. She had been more worried than she had let on, and had fully determined that she would go on till the end of the line if she had to, in order to make sure Len was safe. 

Margot too was glad to see her triplets and got out of the car with a happy smile. That smile turned to a round O of amazement as she saw Len's reaction when she saw Ge's face. Completely unconsciously, Len's eyes glowed and her body seemed to start forward before she remembered where she was and who she was with, and moderated her response down to a friendly smile.

 

Margot looked from one to the other. So that was the way it was! Now that was a completely different kettle of fish! Mary Lou's words came back to her all of a sudden. Perhaps THIS was the reason Bride was so sure that Len wasn't likely to worry about Reg. In which case it might well be that Margot could tell Len without the worry of Len still having feelings for him. But how could she let Len know that she had guessed about Ge, so that they could then talk openly about Reg? It promised to be a very interesting Christmas !

Ge went to pack their bags into the car. Con was chattering to Jack and Kiki and Len was listening with half an ear while she tried to not be too obvious watching Ge's movements and revelling in being in her company again. 

"So are you Ge's brother then ? Or do you live with her? "asked Con with her customary lack of tact. Jack laughed as he replied. "No, just a friend, Ge doesn't have any brothers or sisters, she lives alone with her kids. But we talk a lot on the radio and go off visiting islands in her boat to watch wild birds so we have got to know one another pretty well" 

Len felt as if a stone had dropped in her stomach. ‘Ge didn't have any brothers or sisters ? Then why had she introduced the twins as her neice and nephew? Had she lied about having children ?’ Her happiness began to dissolve as all of her insecurities and doubts began to return.

***

 

Margot began to doubt her own instincts as they crowded in for the journey back. Len seemed to have drawn into herself, and while clearly grateful to Ge, she showed no sign of familiarity, even being a little cold with her. Margot wondered about the situation, as she could see that Ge was looking a little hurt and puzzled at Len's aloofness. 

Con finally picked up on some of the cross currents in the car, but couldn't work out where the atmosphere was coming from. This lady who had met them seemed friendly enough, and had obviously met Len while she was down her in the summer. But Len was being most unlike herself and quite stand offish to the woman, especially considering that she had driven a long way to rescue them. 

Con studied the new acquaintance carefully. She seemed quite likely, from her appearance, to be a friend of Tom's. Con did remember hearing some gossip that Tom had been involved with someone while visiting Bride, although Bride herself had always refused to comment. True to form with the triplets at the moment, her mind went into overdrive. Her overactive imagination skipped straight over the correct answer to land beautifully wide of the mark.

'Oh no!' she thought. 'I'll bet I sent Len straight from finding out about young Jack and Jane, to discovering Tom and this lady. No wonder she is being a bit abrupt with her, the poor woman probably has no idea what she has done wrong!'

***

 

"I'll tell you something for nothing, Tom" announced Bride in exasperation as she entered the room. "Those three girls need their heads knocking together."

Tom looked up in amusement "What’s happened now?" she asked the irate woman. 

"Len obviously hasn't told Con or Margot about her and Ge, Con hasn't told Len or Margot about her and Ted, and Margot hasn't told anybody about her and ... Oh bother I'm not supposed to tell anyone. Well she hasn't told anyone about her and someone, let's put it that way!"

Tom looked at her with a bemused air. "I'd rather you didn't put it that way; It sounds rather like one if those puzzles where you have to work out who ate what for breakfast. So what do you want to do about it? I'd suggest leaving them to it and not getting involved but I know you won't listen. So what’s the plan?"

"Cousin-acide is the most tempting option at the moment" Came the disgruntled reply.


	15. More Melodrama !

Len woke early and couldn't get back to sleep. She went to the window and looked out. Despite the lateness of the season, she could see a small figure far away on the beach. Len frowned, trying to work out who they were and what they were doing

 

Away on the beach, 10 year old Josie was concentrating on the stones in front of her. A visitor had found an unusually large geode on a local beach after the a storm, and the sparkling crystals within had fascinated the little girl. Ever since, she had been tracking across the beach every spare moment, hoping for a sign of the same type of rock. 

Her aunt Ge had promised to take her next week to an area of cliff that fewer people had access to, and had told her the chance of finding something unusual on the main beach was pretty low since so many people looked there. 

But Josie was sure that if she could just get to the beach early enough, she could find something herself, and a week seemed an age away to her impatient mind. Ge was wise to Josie by now and had been careful to lock all of the doors and take the keys with her to bed. However, being small and agile, she had slipped out of a small window in the pantry and come out while the house was still asleep. 

Intent on her task, she wandered round a projecting rock and continued to scan the ground for the same type of stone as the one the visitor had found. Normally aware of the importance of paying attention to the sea, she had become fixated on her object, and failed to notice the tide had begun to turn some time before.

Len watched the little figure pass round the headland. She frowned and looked around the surrounding beach for an adult in charge. Nobody else was stirring. From her vantage point in the house, Len had a far better view of the position of the tide than would be visible from the beach, and she wasn't happy with what she was seeing. Giving up all hope of sleep, she decided to go for a walk on the sand, just in case.

***

 

In the village, Reg stood beside his car looking uncertainly at a road map. He only had today free over the Christmas period, but had been unable to resist getting up in the middle of the night to drive down and at least try to see Margot. 

Unfortunately for everybody, Mary Lou had decided against telling him that Len and Con would be there too, thinking that he might pass it on to Margot. So he was happily planning a romantic surprise visit to Margot, his enthusiasm only slightly dampened by being unable at present to find the house. 

"Can I help ?" came a voice from behind him. "Who are you trying to find ? 

He turned to see a tall lady in jeans and jumper looking at him quizzically.

“Thank you,” he said, brandishing the map. “I’m trying to find ... er ... Cliff View is the name of the house."

Ge smiled and said, "Well I can help you there, and if I can be so bold, you may be able to help me. My little monkey of a neice has slipped out, and I am just about to head over that way to try to find her. Could I trouble you for a lift in your car while I give you the directions? We can walk back easily, but I would like to get there as soon as I can, in case she has got into mischief. "

Reg was happy to help, especially as it solved his own problem aswell. They set off along the winding road.

"So who are you going to visit up at Cliff View?" said Ge conversationally. 

"Oh Miss Maynard, you may have met her? Tall with Reddish hair ? She is staying with her cousin. I wanted to surprise her, she didn't think I would be able to get any time off to see her" chatted Reg happily. 

Ge had gone quiet. "That sounds very nice." she managed to say finally. "I'm afraid I don't know your name?" she asked, hoping her suspicions were wrong and maybe this man with the doctors case was there to see one of Len's sisters. She had a sinking feeling that she now understood why Len had been so offhand with her on the journey back from the station. 

"Oh I am sorry, how rude of me. Entwhistle is the name. Dr Reg Entwhistle.

***   
Len wandered along the beach, one eye on the sea. Where had that child gone? She didn't want to interfere, but the sea was coming in quickly, and she knew that the area she had seen the child go to was a dangerous one for rockslides, with sheer cliffs that the sea easily reached on a normal tide, let alone as high a tide as she judged this one to be. 

Eventually she caught sight of the tiny figure, clambering on a rock pile up ahead, her back to the sea. With a jolt Len recognised Josie, and for a moment paused. 

Ge was a strict but fair guardian,there was no way she would allow Josie out alone on such a dangerous coast. Perhaps Ge was up ahead, just out of sight. Len wasn't quite ready to see her yet. She waited on the sand, loth to leave just in case Josie was in danger.

***

Ge showed Reg the way to the gates, but made her excuses to leave before he reached the house itself. She headed on towards the beach, her usually open face creased by a troubled frown. 

She had been hurt too much already by being second choice. Although she loved the twins, they were a daily reminder of their mother, becoming more like her in appearance and nature every day. 

Feeling unable to take the risk again of caring that much, she had sworn off relationships, only having brief flings such as the enjoyable but consequence free time with Tom. Hard as she could however, the thought of being with Len more permanently had got under her skin. 

Now it seemed that Len might have only been confused, experimenting. She hadn't told her in her letters that she was back in contact with Reg, but otherwise how could he have known she was here? How else would he seem so sure that his appearance would be such a welcome surprise. 

As she reached the path down to the beach, Ge was raised from her musings by a sudden realisation of where Josie was, and the danger that she was in. All thoughts of Len and Reg forgotten, she ran down the path at top speed.

***

Josie had found a large stone that looked just like the visitor's find. Intent on digging it out of the sticky clay, she failed to see that her retreat from the little bit of beach she was on had already been cut off. 

Len had finally decided that she had to at least risk seeing Ge, this child was not in a safe position. She began to wade around the rock, knee deep already, holding on to breaks in the stone to keep her balance. She tried to call to Josie, but the noise of the sea and Josie's own distraction mean that the little girl gave no sign of hearing her. 

All of a sudden Josie felt spray on the back of her legs. She turned and had a shock as she realised the danger she was in. She saw Len heading towards her and began to move along the little spit of land remaining to her to try to reach the young woman. She couldn't go far, the sea was already too high for her, and the waves were strong and frequent. 

By this time Len was up above her waist and beginning to tire. She reached Josie and simply picked her up and began to head back. Luckily Josie realised the best thing she could do was keep still, so she put her arms around Lens neck and allowed herself to be carried. 

The water had reached Len's chest, and she was beginning to be worn down by the strength of the waves that battered against her. She stopped for a moment and held onto the rock with one hand, the power of the waves draining her as she stood there unable to move.

Suddenly Len felt Josie lifted from her arms and a strong grip held her own arm and began to help her along. As they finally reached the safety of the beach, she looked up to see who had helped her for that final bit. As she looked into Ge's concerned eyes, she felt safe for the first time for a long while. 

Her last thought before she dropped off into a daze was that it didn't matter if Ge had lied. After all they had only known each other a few days at that point. Maybe there was a perfectly simple explanation for the misunderstanding. If she could just have some sleep she would ask Ge about it when she woke up and apologise for being so unfriendly before. 

 

***

Ge placed Len in a safe dry part of the beach and covered her with her own thick jumper. She took one look at the shivering Josie and realised she had to get the little one warm and dry straight away, despite the fact that every instinct made her want to stay with Len, and nothing made her want to go up to the house with Reg there waiting for Len. 

Ge was realising her feelings for the young woman in front of her more and more as she tried to warm her as much as she could and covered her up more securely. She didnt want to give Len up. But Reg was clearly now interested in Len again, and perhaps Len had only been confused, rebounding and hurt after his earlier rejection. After all a doctor could offer her security, family and social approval, children of her own, and a likely teaching career without fear of discovery and almost certain scandal. 

***

 

Con looked into Len's room and was slightly puzzled to see her empty bed. Looking out of the window as she turned to leave,she was shocked to see Ge and a small girl, bent over a worryingly familiar, and even more disturbingly still, figure on the beach. She dashed out of the room and down the stairs, flung open the door, only to stop her headlong rush and stand with mouth wide open looking at the person standing in front of her on the doorstep.

"Reg?? Where on earth did you come from?"

Reg was looking just as shocked as Con felt. Remembering the reason for her hurry she skipped the need for explanations and grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him towards the beach. "No time to explain, she's on the beach and she looks like she’s been hurt. Come on!"

Reg followed, all thoughts of hiding his feelings gone, as he ran with Con toward a tall figure of a girl lying partly hidden behind the woman he recognised as his helper of a short time before. 

'It's Margot!' was all the thought he had space for in his mind, never once dreaming that he was racing towards a completely different sister. 

 

***

Just as Ge was deciding she would have to leave Len there and take Josie up to the house to get help, one of Len's sisters came flying towards her, shortly followed by the young doctor from that morning. Any faint hope that perhaps Reg didn't really have strong feelings for the girl faded instantly, as she recognised the terrified look on his face as he raced towards them. 

Ge picked up Josie and headed up to the house, simply saying to Con in passing "I need to get this child warm and dry, can you two manage or shall I send someone else down ?" Con indicated that they could cope and Ge hurried off to the house, not wanting to be present at this reunion. 

As Con bent down over her sister, Reg reached the two of them and nearly fell back in shock to realise who the figure on the beach actually was. Realising that his own concerns about secrecy had to come last at this point, he picked Len up and carried her back to the house. 

Len, briefly awakened by being picked up, had a vague view of her rescuer. It looked almost like Reg ? But she was sure it had been Ge that had pulled her to safety. After all Reg was nowhere near, as far as any of them knew, and there was no reason to think he would be there carrying her. It must be my brain getting confused, she thought mistily, as she drifted back off to sleep.

Ge had managed to get Josie into dry clothes, albeit far too large for her. She bundled the sleepy girl into some blankets provided by Bride and made the excuse that she wanted to get Josie off to her own bed. All she wanted to do was to avoid the second party as they returned from the beach. 

Tom followed her out to give her a lift back to the house, but paused as she saw Len being carried up by Reg. As Reg passed over the doorstep Len was jolted awake catching sight of Ge's face before she started to drift off again. Ge, with her head tipped down into the bundle of blankets, missed the glance from Len, and simply heard Len's voice drifting back over Reg's shoulder as he carried Len up to her room. 

"What a solid lump of comfort you are..." were the words that echoed in Ge's head, as she headed out to the car.


	16. Great Auk calling Timmysmum

Jack Trent put a cup of tea down in front of his sister. Lucy Ann smiled her thanks at him and motioned for him to continue. 

"Well come on then Jack, you can't leave it there. Did you find the girl with the beautiful eyes ? I have to say that description sounds most unlike the matter-of-fact George that I remember!"

"It did throw me a little, I have to say!" laughed Jack. "But you could see this was the real thing this time, she was more like the old Ge than I have seen for years. Or George, rather, as that’s what you called her. I haven't heard her called George since, well since we were all teenagers"

" Well she could hardly make people call her 'Master George' all her life now, could she?" cut in a new voice. 

Jack and Lucy Ann jumped and turned to greet their visitor.

"Dinah! How are you? Got some time off from the hospital have you? I thought you were on call all over the Christmas period?" Lucy Ann said, leaping up to take Dinah's coat and help her with her bags. "Jack, where do you keep your mugs? Dinah looks frozen." came back the little voice from the direction of the tiny kitchen, as Dinah sank into a soft armchair.

Once Jack had scrambled around and found another mug, they settled back down in a companionable circle. Kiki told Dinah repeatedly not to sniff, and to "Wash her feet" and "Brush her hands" until Jack had to tap her beak so that they could get a word in edgeways. 

"So what was that I heard about George as I came in?" enquired Dinah "Sounded like some good gossip?"

Jack paused and looked doubtfully at Lucy Ann, then back to Dinah. Dinah caught the look and guessed the content of the gossip. "Jack! Don't be such an ass. George and I are ancient history. In fact it's so far back it ought to be mythology by now ! So has she found someone special this time? I do hope so. She needs a bit of good news."

Relieved that Dinah was not likely to be upset, the other two settled down for a good gossip. After a good deal of laughter at the matter of fact Ge and her "beautiful eyes" comment, they hit upon the plan of asking Ge to come over in her boat for a meal, to see if they could get any more details of this new arrival. 

Jack went to his radio set and turned a few dials. 

"Great Auk calling Timmysmum, Timmysmum,are you there?" 

They waited a little longer and tried again. 

"Timmysmum,are you there?"

The radio was silent.

***

Back at Cliff View, Len had been tucked into her bed, where she remained, coming in and out of consciousness only briefly for the next few days. The strain of recent events had combined with the effects of being out for so long in the cold sea in midwinter. She was stable, but seemed to be unable to wake sufficiently to be aware of her surroundings. 

Reg, since he couldnt stay long anyway, decided it would be best to leave the family alone to look after her. After a brief whispered conversation with Margot, where he promised to come as soon as he could if she needed her, he left and drove back home, wishing all the way that he could have stayed with her 

Con, completely absorbed in her worry about Len, initially accepted the explanation that it was just coincidence that Reg had turned up at Brides at the same time as them. As the days went on she began to think more deeply and dread that this was not the case. 

A tiny part of her had a suspicion that maybe the possible romance Len had hinted at on her last visit, was actually with Reg. Although she was glad that Len might have found someone, she just didn't think that Reg was right for Len. She hoped that she was wrong but grew more and more convinced that she was correct. 

***

"Cheers Jack" said Dinah as he moved the boat near enough to the pier for her to jump off. "I'll let you know if I need a lift back, Mrs K. said I could stay with her tonight, even if Ge is back and won't let me in at the farm. I'll see you tomorrow or the day after."

" Let us know if there's anything we can do. It's not like Mrs Kirrren to get involved in Ge's life. She must be pretty worried to have answered our radio call like that. And its not like Ge to ignore the radio this long. Hope you can find out what is going on."

***

Len had finally recovered enough for Con and Margot to feel they could just leave her to sleep. With an eye to how tired they were both looking, Bride and Tom took Margot out for the day to a local town and managed to get a message over to Ted. Con was lying down in her room when a welcome voice woke her from her light doze. 

"I don't know Miss Con, I leave you alone for a few days, and you and your sister get yourselves into all kinds of trouble."

Con opened her eyes to see that wonderfully familiar face. Ted tried to make her expression match the lightness of her tone, but was unable to hide the concern she felt at seeing Con look so drained and pale. 

"Ted! Oh Bride is the best relative I have, you are just what the doctor ordered." 

After holding herself together so well for the past few days of worry about her sister, Con had suddenly reached the limit of her strength. She broke down sobbing incoherently about all of her worries over Len. Wordlessly Ted just passed her arms around her and held her. Gradually the storm of tears passed, and they fell asleep holding each other close. 

 

***

Dinah strode up the path to the farm and knocked on the door. After a few minutes hearing scraping of locks and scrabbling with bolts, the door opened to show Josie and John staring out apprehensively. At the sight of Dinah their faces lit up. 

"Aunty Di! Have you come to visit? Is Uncle Phillip with you? Does he have any more animals in his pockets?" came the excited clamour, as the twins tried to look past her searching for her brother. She laughed. 

"No you will just have to put up with me by myself this time. Is your Aunty Ge in ?" she asked them, scanning the hallway behind them. Josie's face fell, and she turned away, and headed up the stairs. John looked after his twin then replied. 

"Aunt Ge is sad, and Josie knows it’s her fault. She went off to the beach when she was supposed to stay here and got all wet. Nanna K is here to look after us and we don't know where Aunty Ge has gone."

Dinah frowned. This didn't sound good. One thing Ge was always very careful about was letting people know where she had gone if she left the twins for any amount of time. For all her show of self sufficiency, Ge loved the twins beyond anything, and was hugely responsible about their care. She entered the house and went in search of "Nanna K", George's mother. 

 

*** 

Len woke up properly for the first time in days. Feeling thirsty she made her way downstairs to get a drink. 

Wandering through the house she found nobody apparently at home. Heading back upstairs she paused outside Con's room before quietly opening the door.

***

Mrs Kirrin sat with Dinah at the kitchen table. They had sent the twins off to play in the garden and were keeping an eye on them through the window. Josie, while none the worse for her adventure, was far quieter than normal, and noticeably jumped up each time it sounded like the gate had opened or footsteps were coming near. 

"She blames herself" said Mrs K. "But I really can't believe anything Josie would do would affect George this way. All that I know is that she was fine before she went to find Josie. She came back with Josie wrapped in blankets after something happened on the beach. Then as soon as she knew Josie would be ok she arranged for me to be here to look after them and she just disappeared."

Di frowned. George might be moody sometimes but her mother was used to that, for Mrs K to be this worried, there must be something more behind it. "Do you know if she is with this girl – Len - I think Jack said her name was?" 

Mrs K shook her head. "I wish she was, but Bride says she hasn't been there at all. And when I asked George about Len just before she left, she said that she had been wrong, Len hadn't come down here to see her. The way she said it did sound as though it were over between them."

"That could be something to do with her mood. But she doesn't normally go off the deep end like this over a girl, if anything I would say that she is too far the other way normally" said Dinah. 

Mrs K looked even more troubled. "I agree, the only time she has ever been like this was when she found out about Jo being pregnant. I think you two had grown apart by then hadn't you? So perhaps you didn’t see her in that state. She really was a mess." 

Dinah nodded. George's mother looked out over the bay as she continued. "It's such a pity as well, she even took Len over to her island, and she hadn't been there properly since she lost Jo. Well, apart from a few overnight fishing trips, but never over for a full day like that. I couldn't believe it when I found out she had gone off there for a picnic."

She paused, a hopeful look dawning on her face "Di ! I think I know where she is!"

***

Len looked in silence at the sleeping pair, Con's head tucked into Ted's shoulder, and realised what a fool she had been. She had been so wrapped up in worrying about her own issues, she had missed what was going on right under her nose. Various scenes between the two over the past few years suddenly popped into her mind and finally made sense. Smiling happily, Len gently closed the door and went off back to bed, for a better sleep than she had had for many months. 

Bride, Margot and Tom arrived back from their day out. As they removed the parcels from the car Bride muttered to Tom "Do you think we ought to hold Margot back here a bit while one of us goes in and checks the lie of the land?"

Tom considered for a moment, looking at Margot, who was happily rootling out her own parcels from the back seat of the car. "No.. I think you have kept these girls' secrets a bit too well for them. It didn't take much for me to guess who "someone" was, given the farce earlier in the week. In fact I think it could well be worth us holding back quietly and letting Margot go in first..."

Oblivious to all of this, Margot headed happily into the house and up the stairs.


	17. Chapter 17

Dinah pulled her boat up onto the sand next to Ge's little red one. 

Standing on a small hill she surveyed the island. Over by the rocks, a tall figure was slouched next to a fixed fishing rod. As Dinah came nearer she saw it was indeed Ge, her hat pulled down over her face, paying no attention at all to the fishing line. 

"Anything good biting there?" Dinah enquired casually as she sat down.

Ge lifted her hat briefly from her face, saw who it was and let the hat fall back again. "Hello Di, where did you come from? I thought they didn't let doctors go gallivanting around in sailing boats. Not unless there are helpless maidens to be rescued at least."

Dinah ignored the bitter tone. "What's going on George? Your mother is so worried about you that she answered us on your radio, asked if we knew where you were. It isn't like you to worry her like this." 

Ge looked slightly ashamed, then her face hardened. "It won't do her or the kids any harm to manage for a few days without me. She wasn't there for most of the hard stuff when they were younger, too busy pussyfooting around my father and other members of the family and pretending to him she wasn't in contact with me. " 

Dinah realised with a shock that Ge had been crying. In over 15 years of friendship she had never seen Ge even near to tears. "All because I didn’t follow the party line and shut Jo out while everyone buried their heads in the sand. She might have been a little fool, but she wouldn't have lied about this."

Dinah just let her talk. Although she knew the background to the twin’s birth, it was the first time Ge had ever spoken to any of them directly about it. George stared off into the distance, then continued. "Anne was too far away to know what was going on, even Julian thought for years I was being led astray by Jo, blamed the gypsy in her. They had all realised by then that I had feelings for her, and thought that meant I was being fooled into believing her. I managed then, without any of them. Why is she worrying about me now?

Dinah just sat next to her in silence for a bit. Gradually Ge sat up properly and carried on. "You know I don't mean it. Mother is a real help with the kids. I just get so tired sometimes, and want to just get away, be free to travel, explore. But I can't. "

Dinah chose her words carefully. "George, you can, if you need to. After all they aren't your children..."

"They’re just as much mine as anyone else's!" George flashed, turning on her friend with a burst of anger. Dinah smiled, as her ruse had so clearly worked.

"That's more like it. You know deep down you wouldnt have it any other way. But they do have a father still George. No one would blame you for asking Richie to have the kids for a bit. It was a long time ago, and he was a scared teenager. There's no reason why Richie can't take some responsibitlity...

"Dick." George interrupted. Dinah paused, confused at this unexpected response. Ge continued.

"His name is Dick. I know he is known as 'Richie Kirrren' to most people, but to me he will always be Dick...Especially the way he has acted the last few years... They get presents on their birthday and he sends money to help. But he's so afraid of the newspapers finding out his deep dark secret, he barely visits them, they don’t really know him at all. I know you’re trying to help, Dinah, but I'm not sending those kids to Dick. They have had enough stress in the past few years." 

Dinah looked at Ge and gave up on the gentle approach. "Look George, this isn't really about the kids, although its clear you have been holding a lot in over the years. Let's stop pretending. Josie is worrying herself sick because she thinks her misbehaviour has driven you away. You have to go back, and soon. So let's get right to the real issue shall we. What has happened with you and this girl? "

 

***

Margot knocked on Con's door and entered, saying "Hello sleepy head, look what I found for Mamma, it's a Cardigan, and she will be so excited, It's lime green! "

She stopped short, with an exclamation seeing Con in bed in Ted's arms, both gradually waking up and looking vaguely in the direction of the noise. 

For the second time in a week Margot's face made a comical O shape. What was going on with her sisters ! She began to wonder if there was something in the water in Oxford, especially as she realised the woman in Con's bed was Ted. 

Ted, being Ted, recovered first. "Hello Margot, how are you ? I don't suppose you will believe Con just sleepwalked into bed with me will you? "

Tom, who had heard Margot exclamation and paused outside the door, had a sudden fit of the giggles at this and headed on up the stairs to her own room. One secret out of the way, hopefully the others would soon follow.

*****

George contemplated just getting up, going to her boat and sailing away. But as she looked at Dinah she realised that she needed to talk, and with Anne living so far away, Dinah was her oldest friend. She began with the awkward car journey, and then meeting Reg, the rescue and the "lump of comfort" comment. After she had finished, Dinah thought about it all for a moment.

*****

Len woke up feeling greatly refreshed. She washed and dressed and headed downstairs, determined to finally get through telling Con and Margot. She found her triplets and Ted in the conservatory. As she entered, Con stood up, and all in a rush said,

"Len I was going to tell you, I wanted to, but now Margot has found out, and I want you to know too, and I really hope you can understand, Margot thinks you will, though she won't say why, but, but Ted and me, I mean Ted and I are...are...we are..."

" A couple" Len finished for her in amusement, beginning to laugh as it became Con's turn to leave her mouth open in surprise. 

"How? When? Why didn't you let me know you knew?"

"Because I didn't."

Everyone looked confused at this, so Len explained. "I came looking for you a few hours ago, and found you two cuddled up like babes in the wood. I suddenly put two and two together and made four" Len finished, smiling at the memory of her first meeting with Ge, brought back by that phrase. Emboldened by this thought, she finally became brave enough to tell her sisters about her and Ge. 

Margot admitted to having suspicions, while Con sat with her mouth open "like a stranded codfish" as Ted described it, Ted giving this flattering description between roars of laughter at how the two of them had been tiptoeing around each other all thus time. As they each realised the funny side of the situation the girls all fell about laughing, each setting the others off into fits if giggles whenever they tried to speak. 

Finally they all calmed down. 

"What I don't understand" said Con eventually. "is, if Reg wasn't here to see you, why was he here?"

Margot took a deep breath and explained, dreading the effect her news could have on this happy family scene. To her shock, as she finished, she looked up at Len's face to find it covered in tears. As Margot's own face fell in dismay, Len was quick to reassure her.

"I'm happy Margot. For the past few months I’ve been so afraid that Reg realised about me before I did, and that he still loved me. If you love him as much as you say I can finally go back to seeing him like a brother. Or I suppose a brother in law? " she finished, with a questioning look. 

Margot nodded. As she did so, there was a splutter from Con. "I'm sorry, she said. I just had the thought, with everything we have to tell them, even if Reg and Margot WEREN'T engaged, them living in sin would be the least of Mamma and Dad's worries !"

***

 

Dinah walked up to Cliff View and rang the door bell. 

After a long discussion with Ge, she had taken her back to the farm, where a tearful Josie was even now being comforted and reassured that it wasn't her fault. To make Ge even feel guiltier for her recent self absorption, she realised the state she had left her neice in, as Josie buried her head into her aunt's body and refused to let her go, incoherently apologising for being so naughty. 

Now Dinah was determined to find out whether Ge's conviction that Len was to marry this doctor was true. From piecing the story together, she had a sneaking feeling that Ge might have jumped to the wrong conclusion, since she had finally got the admission from Ge that nothing had actually been said between Ge and Len, only assumptions made. 

It may well be true, but Di wanted to be sure before she became involved in trying to help Ge forget and move on. Answering the door, Tom was intrigued to see a determined looking stranger, guessing by a stubborn tuft of hair on the visitors head, that this must be Dinah, sister of local zoologist Phillip Mannering. 

She welcomed her in and showed her into the morning room. Tom went to find Bride telling herself to stop being silly, there were quite enough complicated romances going on at the moment, and Dinah might not even be interested in women. Despite this, Tom disobeyed her normal instinct to keep out of drama and gossip, and returned with Bride to see what this stranger had to say. 

Bride listened, and groaned when she heard about Ges worries. "She's been getting it all wrong, Dinah! I can't tell you whether Len is serious or not, she keeps details of how she feels very much private. But Reg wasn't here to see her, the poor man had no idea Len and Con were here himself." 

As Dinah looked confused, Bride explained further. "Reg was here to see Margot. Len's sister. Who is also Miss Maynard, and also has 'Reddish' hair! Why are men so bad at describing colours!? The two of them have been an item for over a year, and been petrified of telling the other triplets. It all only came out between them today, and now you come to tell us Ge has been caught in the fallout of it all too! These triplets! Honestly, I have never known a set of people with more tendency to get in a tangle."

Dinah's face cleared. "Well I’m not sure if I can get Ge to change her mind about all of this, she can be pretty stubborn. But at least there is a chance." 

They put their heads together, trying to work out a plan.

 

***

 

Margot had left to go back to university, with a short stop with Reg to explain that everything was alright, at least as far as her sisters were concerned. 

Con had gone to stay at Ted's for a few days, with that dreamy look that told her sisters and Ted that her characters were talking to her again.

"Good luck!" said Len to Ted with feeling 

"Tell me about it!" replied Ted, rolling her eyes.   
"Hie, Con, we need to get onto the platform to catch the train, not the bus stop ! Come on, you." 

Len laughed and left them to it. Heading up along the cliffs she finally settled on the bench at the top, her mind back on her last visit to the spot. 

She had tried a few times to speak to Ge and been sent away by an increasingly embarrassed Mrs Kirren. Even worse, the day before she had caught sight of Ge out with Dinah in the boat and the sight had hurt her deeply. Her worries about being distracted from her studies seemed so small when compared to thinking that Ge was now seeing this other woman. The whole situation was making her realise that it wasn't just anyone she wanted to be with, it was Ge. But how could that happen if Ge wouldn't see her. 

"Is this seat taken?" came a voice from behind her. 

***

Ge muttered under her breath as she pulled the boat up on the beach. "If she left it here why can't she go over and get it? Headache indeed. Dinah never worried about her possessions this much before. Women. Why couldn't I have been born interested in men?"

"Because I’d be very upset, since I would really rather stay female if I can" came a voice from just behind the hut. Ge started in surprise as Len appeared from around the stone building. They looked at each other, then without a word they went back to the beach, settled down on the sand and began to talk. 

From a short way out to sea Dinah put down Her field glasses and smiled. Jack looked at her with a question. 

"Yes," she said, as they set sail away from the island. "It's going to be ok"


	18. 1961 The Gornetz Platz

1961 The Gornetz Platz

It was the start of the Easter holidays. Len, Con and Margot had all arrived back the day before, and were now gradually waking and heading down for breakfast. 

"Hello my girls!" smiled their mother "So do you have any plans for the day so far?" 

Len looked at each of her sisters with a question in her eyes, then nodded to herself. "We would like to spend some time with you and Dad, Mamma. We need to have a bit of a talk with you both. Do you know if Dad will be back from work any time today?"

Jo looked searchingly at each of her daughters. Con had gone a bright shade of pink, Margot looked strained and pale, and Len was gradually beginning the same blush as Con. Clearly whatever it was that they were wanting to talk about, it was embarrassing at least two of her girls. She couldn't quite read Margot's expression.   
"Well I will be happy to talk whenever you want. But Dad has a very bad case at the moment at the San, and it could be a day or so before you can have both of us at the same time. Is it something that can wait that long? Or can you tell me before and wait for telling him? "

Frowning, the girls looked at each other. They had discussed this being a likely situation, and all three had felt that they would rather get their stories told just once. It was hard, now that they had collected the courage to tell their parents, to continue to wait before the ordeal was over with, but it couldn't be helped.

"We can wait Mamma, we want to tell you together. "

Joey, although expecting that they would say that, inwardly cursed the emergency patient who had just arrived. There was obviously something going on with one of the triplets and the other two were providing back up. The question was - which one, and what was the problem ?  
\-------  
The triplets decided to go out together for a ramble, so Len went off to the kitchen to try to talk Anna into providing some food and some lemonade.   
"Here you are mein voeglin" said Anna, glad to see her favourite back again. It had been a long time without the girls at home, and all of the family was glad to see them back. 

They headed off through the trees, chattering lightly as they enjoyed the clear refreshing mountain air. Once they had gone a reasonable way up, they settled down in a large clearing and opened their lunch. 

"Mmmmmm, Anna has done us proud this time" said Margot apprecively. Len and Con nodded their smiling agreement through full mouthfuls. Suddenly Con gave a loud shriek. Len and Margot started up in surprise and began to hurry over to her.

"Hooray!!!" said Con. "LEMON BISCUITS!!!" as she held up a small packet she had just found in the bottom of the pack. 

"I heard Anna telling Charles earlier that she had none left! She must have packed these last ones in for us as a surprise. Serves him right too, he pilfered so many from the kitchen last time we were home Anna refused to make any more, and I barely got any all holiday !" 

Con smiled happily, completely oblivious to the panic she had caused in her sisters. Margot and Len subsided back onto the grass. 

"Con, you absolute ass!!" said Len "We thought something had happened to you!"

"It did." said Con, not noticeably apologetic for the scare she had given them "I've got lemon biscuits and Charles hasn't" 

Len leant over and whipped the packet from her sister's hands. "WE have Lemon biscuits you mean!" she said, then looked cheekily from Con to Margot. "Or more accurately..." she said as she stood up. " ... I have lemon biscuits !!" and she sped off accross the clearing, Con in hot pursuit. 

Margot watched her sisters antics with a smile, which turned to a great laugh as Len grabbed a low branch and swung up into a tree, proceeding to defend her position valiantly against a barrage of grass, twigs and leaves thrown at her by Con, who couldn't quite reach the handhold Len had used. The girls were so absorbed in their game that they didn't see a new arrival stand watching them for a few minutes. It was therefore a shock to hear a voice say 

"Do you mind telling me exactly what you think you are doing?"  
\----------------------  
The girls turned in alarm, then grinned as they saw their honorary Aunts Nell and Hilda standing accross the clearing, looking at the girls with amused expressions 

"Lemon biscuits" said Con, pointing to the package and Len up in the tree. 

"Ah," said Nell, "well then, most understandable ..." 

"Perhaps you might want to remember that you are, in theory adults, while out on the platz, however, " added Hilda dryly. "Much as I understand the cause of this display, especially if they are Anna's lemon biscuits... it is perhaps not quite how the daughters of a man of your father's standing ought to behave!" She smiled as she said this, and the two aunts stayed for a brief chat, then continued on their walk, arms linked companionably. 

Con looked after them with a strange expression on her face. 

"You know..." she said "I've often slightly wondered..."  
\---------------------

Len nodded, following her sisters thoughts "Uh huh. Me too. Well at least since I realised about myself that is!"

Margot looked confused for a moment, then caught on. "Well that might help perhaps, if Mamma and Dad are such good friends with them, it should mean they will understand about you shouldn't it ?"

Len looked doubtful. "Well that only works really works if Mamma and Dad know...Oh and if it is true I guess!" she finished with a laugh. 

"I want to feel Dad and Mamma will be ok, but I just don't know..." said Con, looking worried again. 

"Perhaps if you found out about whether Aunty Nell and Aunty Hilda and asked them?" Margot suggested doubtfully. 

"Can you imagine!!! How on earth do you suggest we start THAT conversation?? Much as I love them out of school, they are still, well - them. Headmistresses. And our Aunts. They are not the people I want to talk about that sort of thing to, and without knowing if they really are the way we think, there is no way we can talk to them about their own private lives" said Con.

"It’s a pity though," said Len "It would make telling Mamma and Dad about us a bit easier if we already knew someone who knows them and is also like us"   
Con suddenly looked thoughtful. "You know that might be a good idea. I... It's a bit weird to think about it... But they are a bit closer to our age... Hmmmm"  
Her sisters looked at her, wondering if she had a point, and was anywhere near getting to it. She seemed to come to a conclusion. "I think I know some people who might be able to help. I think they are still here too, at least for the next few days. Unless they are not here."

Just as her sisters were ready to throttle her for her complete lack of clarity, she seemed to come to a decision. "I'm going to see if I can speak to Ferry and Willy..." she stated, then, as if she thought the girls were not replying because they didnt know realise who she meant "Miss Ferrars and Miss Wilmot ..."

Len and Margot gaped at her. Then they both spoke at once, and provided her with a fair taste of how incomprehensible she had been to them a moment before. 

"Why them ....nooo...you don't mean"  
"We know who they are you goop! ... But ...are they really?... "   
"But they are teachers..."  
"Do you really think?" ...   
"Noooo"  
"But how do you..."  
"When did you?..."  
"Why do you?"

Con slightly glossed over exactly how she knew, but she finally managed to convince them she was sure of the existence of at least a past relationship between the two mistresses. They debated all through the afternoon about whether they should try to talk to the women, both of whom had been great favourites with all of the girls while they were at school. 

One big issue was the fact that, as Margot had said "But they ... they are teachers! Its...teachers don't, well they must I suppose, but, well its, just...they are teachers!"

But as they thought it through, they actually realised that Miss Ferrars at least was probably not that many years older than themselves. As Con pointed out, she was very similar in age to Ge, Tom and Bride, and they would all now feel they could talk to those people freely. 

It also helped that over the past few years Kathy and Nancy had begun to seem more like part of the extended Platz family. They rarely went back to England in the breaks now, instead chosing to drive all around the local countries on holiday together, and staying with Hilary Graves for any other days before and after term. The girls had all been told by the two women that they could now use their Christian names, as long as it wasn't in front of any of the younger ones. Although as yet they had not found it easy to do so, their minds still defaulting to the original names they has used for years.   
Margot had the greatest issue with trying to separate the women from the teachers. Although she wanted to support her sisters, she was glad when Len suggested that perhaps it need only be her and Con, unless Margot wanted to come too, and readily agreed. 

Con summed up their last dilemma. "We know we want to talk to them, but how on earth do we let them know that we know?"

\-----------------------  
Nancy came down the stairs, smiling as she reached the hall and saw Kathy searching through the pile of letters on the table.   
"Anything good there, love?" she asked, as she headed on into the dining room. Kathy followed her through, still sorting through the post as she walked. 

"Nothing much so far, mostly for Hilary. One from the bank for you, postcard from Aunty and Uncle for me, they are enjoying Guernsey by the way, say thanks for the recommendation... one from Cambridge for you, looks like Caroline's writing, probably telling us whether she can make the gather this year ...Oh this one might be good, a letter for me from Ge!"

Nancy began to butter some bread as Kathy started to open Ge's letter. "I'm still not sure whether I should be jealous about this Ge, she seems to write to you an awful lot at the moment..."

\------------------  
Kathy passed Nancy's letters over to her, then unfolded Ge's letter and began to read. "Don't be an idiot Nancy, you know perfectly well why Ge is writing to me. And if you want to be jealous of a school girl fling long before I met you, then go ahead. "

Hilary was watching this exchange in amusement. Nancy saw her look, and carried on teasing Kathy. "Oh I don't know, she could well still have a thing for you. After all, it's not often a girl with a crush on a prefect gets to act on it. You could well have been her first, too. Maybe this Ge is still pining after you... I could well have to challenge her to a duel soon, 'Sharpened set squares at dawn' kind of thing. What do you think Hilary ?"

"I'm not getting involved, fight it out between yourselves. I'd perhaps suggest rulers might be more useful than set squares though. I'm just intrigued about this revelation about Kathy's school days! When I was 18 all I was really interested in was keeping up with schoolwork and sports. I'm in awe you found the time! I have to say it's not one of the duties I remember from my time as a prefect... "

Kathy smiled and threw a roll at Nancy, who caught it, buttered and calmly began to eat it. "See where your teasing gets me, you horror! Now I am getting a reputation with Hilary, all for a term of fun with someone when I was a teenager. She was nearly 17 by the way, before Nancy has you thinking I was out seducing the middles!"   
Nancy didn't look hugely contrite, merely smiled sweetly and changed the subject. "So what does Ge have to say then? Does she give us some more detail about this mystery woman ye


	19. More misunderstandings

Len and Con walked up the path to Hilary's house. At the door, they almost tripped over each other trying to let the other one go first. "Oh no you don't" said Len. "This was your idea, Con, you have to ask the question. I will be there and join in later, but you are the one who is so sure that they are together, you can start things off"

Con considered objecting, but realised the truth in what her sister said. They knocked on the door then stood back slightly, unconsciously looking like a couple of naughty middles having to report themselves. Hilary opened the door and greeted them with a smile.  
\-----------------------------------

"Hello you two, this is a nice surprise! What can I do for you ?" she said. 

"Er...we do want to catch up with you too Hilary, but we were actually wondering if Miss Fe... I mean Kathy and Nancy, were here."

Rather suprised, Hilary stepped back and motioned them in, then led the way into the dining room. 

"Hello girls!" said Nancy, "To what do we owe this honour?"

Len and Con looked at each other, then at Hilary, and then at Kathy and Nancy. "Um. We wanted to... Speak to you about something, but we...it... we .. It's a bit delicate .."

Hilary took the hint, although she was still intrigued to know what this unexpected visit was all about. "Well I hope this conversation can do without my presence, as I have a mountain of jobs to do. Lovely to see you both, hopefully you will come back for another visit before you go back to Oxford. Cheerio for now." and suiting her actions to her words she left the room, closing the door behind her. 

"Sit down girls, how can we help?" said Kathy, looking from one sister to the other. Con took a deep breath and braced herself to get the conversation over with. 

"We want to ask your advice, about ... Er ... Well..

\--------------------

 

Meanwhile Margot was at home, lying in the hammock in the garden. As she dozed, she worried about telling her parents about Reg, and wondered how the trip to Nancy and Kathy was going. 

"Hello my Margot, can you put up with some company for a little while? I have some pink lemonade if you are thirsty." said her mother, sitting down beside her with a couple of glasses and a jug. 

"Of course Mamma, thank you for the lemonade...aiiihye...ow !!!" said Margot, sitting up too quickly and tipping herself out of the hammock. Joey laughed as the dishevelled girl recovered herself and sat down on a safer chair beside her mother. 

"It's quite unusual now to get some time with you alone, you three seem to have gone back to being almost inseparable recently." remarked Joey once Margot was settled. 

"Oh, they had some jobs they needed to get done so they have gone to do them, I fancied a lazy morning instead" replied Margot, not quite meeting her mother's eye. 

Joey looked at her for a minute. Her youngest triplet was still looking pale and strained, and was clearly worried about something. "Margot, I understand if you need to wait for your sisters, or want to wait till we can get dad here too. But I can't help but worry, can you not tell me what is making you look so thoughtful and concerned all of the time. I can't help until I know."

Margot held her glass tightly and looked down at her feet. A beetle moved gradually past her toes, negotiating some of Geoff's old building blocks as it went through the blades of grass. She watched it, unsure of what to say. "I want to tell you Mamma, but I just don't know what you will think of me" she finally said. 

"Well, I know you pretty well by now Margot, and I can't think of anything you could do that you would need to keep a secret from me. Why don't you try me? It's been a long time since any of you came to me for your 'confession' time, but that doesn't mean you can't still do so when you need my help and guidance."

Margot, thinking back to her conversation with Mary Lou, made her decision. "Mamma, I do want to tell you, I think it might be good to talk to you about this before dad hears. I can't tell you Len and Con's secrets, but I do want to tell you mine."

Joey settled down to listen, one part of her mind in a whirl at the realisation that it wasn't just one Triplet needing to talk to them, but all three. She was going to find out about Margot's situation it seemed, but what on earth had her two oldest daughters been up to as well?  
\-----------------------------

Con had turned beetroot red. " I, we... Ted and I found out while we were  
at school that you were a couple, we were accidently nearby when you two ...er...well... "She blurted out, then seemed to lose momentum. 

Luckily Kathy and Nancy had caught her drift, and were themselves looking almost like naughty middles. "Well!" said Nancy finally. "That wasn't quite what I was expecting! But since you know... what is it you want to talk to us a about? "

Con looked pleadingly at her sister, but Len was sitting there even more tongue tied. So Con took a deep breath and said, "We want to know if our parents know about you two, and what... what they might think if someone were to tell them that they were also in a relationship with... With a woman. "

Kathy looked at the girl and took mercy on her. "What I think you are trying to say Con, is that you want to tell your mother about you and Ted, that is assuming that you are still together?"  
\----------------

Con was again struck dumb with mouth open, staring at Kathy. The thought that anyone at home or school might already had guessed had never crossed her mind. Kathy gave the girl a few minutes to collect herself, while making a mental note to remind Nancy that she owed her £10. 

"Dont look so shocked Con, the two of you were pretty discrete really. But remember I was your form mistress seveal times, it does give us a bit of an insight into your lives, spending that much time together with you all "

Len found her tongue at last. "Did you...did you know about me too?"she stammered.  
\----------------------------------  
Now it was Kathy's turn to be silenced by surprise, while Nancy emitted a short snort of a laugh, and made a mental note to remind Kathy that she owed her £10 for this little revelation, which helpfully cancelled her own debt for not fully believing Kathy's instincts about Con. 

"I guessed it might be possible, Len" Nancy replied, seeing that Kathy was as yet still speechless. "I’ve known it happen before with twins, so when Kathy told me her suspicions about Con, I did wonder. Especially with Jack Lambert following you around all over the place."

Kathy had recovered herself a little by now, and asked, "What about Margot?"

She was unconsciously looking at the door as she said it, almost as if she expected Margot to come bursting in with a hareem of Amazons in tow. Seeing the funny side of it all at last, Con began to giggle. "No, she isn’t," she said, as she struggled to get her mirth under control. "But she does know about us." 

"But Mamma and Dad ... don't know, " Len added "and that is what we wanted to ask you - do they know about you two, and do you think they will understand about us?"

Nancy and Kathy both looked doubtful.  
\----------------------------  
"We really don't know Len. You see, while a few people do know about us, we haven't been too sure ourselves about whether to tell others like your parents about us officially."

Len and Con's look of dismay would almost have been comical, if it were not for the fact that both Nancy and Kathy had been in similar positions with family themselves, so knew what they must be worrying about. "One person who might know" said Nancy reflectively, "Is Hilary. If you can feel brave enough to let her know what you have just told us?"

Both girls agreed, and Nancy went to call Hilary down to them. When she returned she said conversationally,"She’ll be down in a minute. One thing I am a bit surprised about though girls, is why you would have gone so far out of bounds to have been near the Staff Bathrooms and to have found us out..."

Con blurted out. "Oh no, we weren't, it was the herdsman's hut..." before she registered the implication of what Nancy had said about the staff bathrooms. Len looked all eyes at the mention of the Herdsman’s hut, Con having previously tried not to admit what she had seen and how. 

All four of them went red, and sat there in a slightly awkward silence until Hilary arrived. "What has been going on?" enquired Hilary, "I've never seen so many red faces. Now what did you want me for? "

As they explained, avoiding all references to herdsman's huts or bathrooms, Hilary thought for a moment. "No one but they can tell you for sure, girls. I really don’t know about your father, but I would say that it would be very unlikely for Joey to have a problem with it. After all she was very understanding about G.."

She stopped suddenly, as she remembered who she was talking to, " er... She has been very understanding about things like that when the situation has come up."  
\-------------

Len and Con headed back to the house, with a feeling of lightness from having finally told someone about themselves, even if it were only extended family as yet rather than immediate family. 

"I do wonder who Hilary was going to say Mamma was supportive to," said Len contemplatively. 

"Mmmmm, me too" said Con. 

Len looked pensive, as a long ago memory of a sale, fire and cotton wool came to mind. 'No... it can't be... After all, she got married..." 

Deciding it would have to be just one of those mysteries, Len followed her sister in through the gate, saying as she went "At least it wasn't Ge that she could be talking about. For one horrible moment I thought Hilary was going to say her name. Which would be mad, there's no reason anyone here should know someone over in England, just because I know them!"  
\-----------------  
Back in the garden, Joey held her daughter's hand and wiped her tears. "I know it’s hard love, but I really think it is for the best. Your father just wouldn't be able to cope with Reg being back here. He is still very angry with how he behaved. Although I personally think you and Reg are quite well suited, the fact that he has been seeing you behind our backs while you are also so young will not really endear him to dad either. By the way, I would guess that Len knows? Is she ok with it all?"

Margot replied without thinking "Oh no, Len is happy about it, especially since it makes her feel less guilty now she has realised that she is ..."  
\------------------

Margot stopped suddenly, realising she had nearly told her mother about Len and Ge. Joey looked at her inquiringly, but saw she was going to get no more information from Margot about Len's mystery. 

'So Margot has told me her secret,' she thought. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I can guess Con's, so that just leaves Len. It sounds like there is some romance or other.'

At that moment the other two arrived in the garden. Len, who was very relieved to have got the embarrassing meeting over with, was thinking about Ge after her recent comment. She had a glow of happiness that her sharp eyed mother noticed immediately, and following her current frame of thought, came to an overhasty conclusion." 

"Oh my word!" thought Joey "Len's pregnant!"


	20. Telling Jack and Joey

Back at Hilary's house, Hilary returned to the dining room after seeing the girls out. They all looked at each other, then dissolved into fits of the giggles. 

"Oh my ! I really wasn't expecting that !" said Hilary 

"Me neither ! " said Kathy and Nancy together. 

Kathy went off into another round of giggles. "I couldn't believe it when you said about the bathrooms Nancy! Whatever possessed you to say that! I thought Len's eyes were going to fall out of her head !"

Nancy put her head in her hands "Dont remind me! It just came into my head and I said it, I just assumed that was where they had their information from. I'd completely forgotten about the herdsman’s hut. 

Hilary was looking from one to the other in confusion. "Staff Bathrooms? Herdsman’s hut? What are you talking about...oh !!" she said, as she realised the implication. "Really you two are terrible! How you have managed to keep reasonably secret I will never know!"

They discussed the triplets, and their plan to tell their parents, a little longer, then the conversation returned to the girls themselves. "I really didn't realise about Len" says Kathy "It sounds a bit as though she’s been late in realising herself."

"It sounds as though there is someone she is involved with now though, and obviously Con and Ted are an item." replied Hilary

Nancy looked thoughtful. " I wonder where she met this 'Mystery woman'? Perhaps at Oxford. Or it could be another Chalet School girls I guess....ooh! I have just had a thought - Len went to visit Bride in Cornwall last summer didn't she? Well I would guess our one and only Tom was there, what about her and Len?" she said. 

Hilary replied, "It could be ... But I can't quite see it somehow. Because Tom was always so close to Bride, she has always acted like an elder cousin to those three. It doesn't feel right somehow."

Unnoticed by the other two, Kathy was looking thunderstruck. The words 'Mystery woman' and 'Cornwall' had a horribly familiar ring to them. She looked doubtfully towards Ge's letter on the sideboard. It couldn't be... Could it?  
\-----------------  
"Do you have any idea why Mamma is suddenly treating me like an invalid?" said Len in irritation the following day. 

"No idea, " said Con, "You must be looking more weak and feeble than normal, you always were the fragile one ..." she grinned and ducked, as Len aimed a cushion at her head. 

"I don't know why she’s treating you so strangely" said Margot, "But she did tell me something yesterday that I want to talk about, so stop throwing furnishings and come and sit down" 

They settled down on the window seat with her. Margot seemed to think for a moment before starting. "She told me that she thinks I shouldn't tell Dad about Reg, not yet. She thinks he will say I'm too young to risk my medical career on someone he sees as unreliable as Reg. So we have to wait a bit to be open about things."

The other two were sympathetic and showed it. Margot continued. 

"I, I sort of feel that... I don't think I ... Even though we are triplets, I ..."

Con translated. "You want to be there for us, but you don’t think you can face dad right now?"

Margot nodded silently. Len and Con looked at each other and Con continued. "It's fine Margot, the last thing we need is him setting off your temper if he is difficult about us too. Why don't you go and spend a few days with Aunt Biddy? I'm sure she'd love to have you."

\----------------

Late that night Jack finally got home from the San, tired, irritable and depressed. His patient had been too far gone to help, and he had finally had to admit defeat. Joey saw how tired he was, shook her head at the Triplets and sent him on up to bed, where he slept for the next 16 hours. 

When he finally woke, he got ready and came downstairs, still feeling a little hungover from his absolute exhaustion of the past few days. A headache was niggling at his forehead, and he felt irritable and snappish.   
He entered the salon and greeted his wife and children. Len cleared her throat. "Er, dad, there's something we want to talk to you and Mamma about in private if that's ok, can we do that now?"

Very worried at the sound of this, Jack Maynard agreed and led the way to his study.  
\---------------------  
They settled down on some chairs, and Jack and Joey looked at the girls questioningly. Con looked pleadingly at Len, who decided it was only fair that she start the conversation this time. "I ... Er... Well we wanted to talk to you about..." her courage failed her as embarrassment took over. She took a deep breath and changed tack. 

"I, er, I wanted to say, I, after university, um, I think I am going to live with someone, in ... er England, not come straight back here. But um ...its not a normal situation ...I'm not going to ..it's not someone that I can er...marry"

She tapered off as she looked at her parents. Jack looked very serious and slightly angry, and Joey had nodded as if she understood. "Len we love you, and we will be here for you what ever you decide, " said Joey, holding her daughter's hand.

Len began to relax, perhaps this would not be as bad as she thought. But as her mother went on, Len realised that she had relaxed too soon.   
Joey continued "But...is there no way that the baby's father will marry you ? I know it’s the 60s now, but if he loves you and you love him enough to want to live with him, why can't you marry him? We could get it done quietly here on the Platz... "

Len was struck dumb for several moments. She looked quickly at Con, but her sister's face, mouth wide open, in a repetition of her stranded fish impression, told Len that she was as clueless about where this 'baby' had come from as Len herself was. She tried to correct her mother, who was waffling on about living with them, and Rosli helping with the baby.

Len tried to get through to her mother, without interrupting until in pure frustration she ended up almost shouting :

NO! I, it's... No, you don't understand..." but she was interrupted by a bellow of rage from her father. 

"NO yourself! I will not have this Len, I will not have you living in sin this way! We didn't bring you up to ignore the churches teachings and your family's values this way!"

All of Jack's stress and depression was building inside him, Len had always been the good one, the responsible one. He was so proud of her, and now she was obviously pregnant and being led by some man who probably didn't want to face his responsibilities. He put his head in his hands, unable to look at his daughter. 

Con gave a gulp, and then said, "Well if that is the way you feel, I guess this is goodbye, because I love Ted, yes Theodora Ted, and when University is over I am going to live with her, and I know the church is right on many things, but...but it’s wrong on this and ... And I love you but I can't pretend and marry a man or live alone." and in floods of tears, she ran from the room before anyone could stop her. 

As Len got up to follow her, she finally stuttered out. "And m..m..m..me too." at which her parents looked at her in confusion. "I'm not pregnant, now I think about it I probably never will be. I love a woman too, and I want to spend my life with her." 

With which she swept out of the room in search of Con. Jack and Joey were speechless. What had just happened ?  
\---- 

Joey recovered from the shock first and chased out after the girls, but they were no where to be seen. She came back into the hall and sat on the stairs. Her two eldest girls had always been the quiet ones, Margot had been the stormy petrel of the three. Joey kicked herself mentally for jumping in with both feet and assuming Len was pregnant. 

Con had been moony eyed about Ted for years, so Joey had not been that surprised when she had found the letter confirming them as a couple. But Len was a complete surprise. Joey had always seen her teaching and then settling down to a large family like herself. She allowed herself a moments sadness for the fact that she might be unlikely to get grandchildren from these two precious children of hers, then shook herself. That wasn't the point, and she was likely to have a whole army of grandchildren ultimately, with the number of other children she had. 

In fact one of her biggest worries up until today had been that Charles would be having to confess to an indiscretion soon, with the rumours she was hearing about him and a girl at his school. She hadn't even considered her triplets would be the first to throw family bombshells. 

But none of that mattered. Where had they gone?

Joey was becoming more frantic with every passing moment. She had been at all of the places she could think her girls would go, the only place left was Hilary's house, but she was fairly sure Hilary was out for the day. As she walked up the drive she caught sight of Kathy and Nancy's car and her step quickened. If they hadn't left on their holiday yet, perhaps they might have seen the Triplets somewhere on the Platz. 

From inside, Nancy watched with a feeling of dread as Joey came nearer and nearer to the house. She and Kathy had built a nice safe-feeling life for themselves here at the school. Now it looked as though they could hide no longer. She had seen friends having to leave their placements for far less than apparently leading at least three of their young charges to homosexuality. It wouldn't matter that it was nothing to do with them. Once this secret was out there was no going back. Joey knocked on the door and waited for an answer.  
\---------------

Kathy answered the door, and saw Joey's pale strained face. All of her resolutions about making sure that Jo wasn't going to upset the girls before letting her in, went completely. For all that the confused story the girls had given them suggested a bad reaction, this was a mother desperate to find her children, not a homophobic monster. Kathy stood to one side,

"Yes Joey, they are here." she said. 

Len and Con were sitting in drained silence in one of the spare bedrooms. Suddenly they heard the door open and they saw their mother come in. Both stood up, arms crossed defensively, ready for another painful scene.  
\------------------  
Joey swept into the room and held them both tight in the strongest hug they had ever had. 

"My girls! I thought I’d lost you. You didn't give me a chance to react! I would rather your lives were easier than this path will be, but if this is what is right for you then that's the way it will be."

The three of them stood together crying and eventually talking. Finally Con asked the question that was on both sister's minds. "But what about dad?"

Joey looked thoughtful "I think he will be fine, but you have just given him quite a shock you know. Do you feel up to coming back to talk a bit more?"

The girls nodded, still apprehensive, but at least a little happier knowing that their mother was on their side. As they left the room, Joey stopped suddenly, looking at the person standing in the hallway. There was a look of complete panic on their face, which made Joey say quickly "What's wrong? What on earth has happened?"


	21. Not a choice

Nancy stood in front of her old friend and took a deep breath. "Joey, it isn't just the girls who are ... non conventional. I...we..."

Joey understood what she was trying to say and opened her mouth to reply

\----------

"Nancy, you idiot! Did you really think I didn't know? I don't think there are many of the old girls up at the platz that didn't! No one quite liked to bring it up directly, but I thought you realised we all knew!"

Nancy and Kathy stood still, in complete amazement. "But...but...who told you?" stammered Kathy 

"No one told me, they didn't have to, you two are the most indiscreet couple I have ever met! Although saying that, I don't think any of the girls or parents know, and we do need to keep it that way, unfortunately." replied Joey with a laugh.

"Gwyneth can tell you how important that is, she had to leave her last school just because of rumours. The parents complained, and started to take their girls away." continued Joey, completely forgetting about Len and Con who were listening to this exchange in amazement. 

The teachers having lives was one thing...but...Matey???? A big part of them was slightly hoping that it was another Gwynneth that was being discussed. 

After all ... Matey ?????  
\------------------------

The girls and Joey returned home, only to find that Jack had been called back to the San. With an eye to how tired her girls were after all the drama of the day, Joey suggested bed, and to speak to their father the next day. Once she had looked in on them and made sure they were sleeping soundly, Joey put on her coat and headed off to the San to find Jack. She found him in the staff room, dozing with a pile of patient notes on his lap. 

Joey woke him gently and took him home. He took the news that Len and Con were back in silence. For the first time in over 20 years, Joey didn't know what to expect from Jack. He was so tired, and unlike himself. The next morning they sat together at breakfast with very little conversation, and Jack hardly looking at the girls at all. 

Steven and Charles wondered at the atmosphere, but being used to the dramas and events of a large family, they put it out of their minds, assuming that someone would tell them what was going on if they needed to know. The younger children were too involved in the scramble for the best bits of breakfast, and their plans for the day to notice anything out of the ordinary. 

After the meal, Jack, Joey, Len and Con retired to the salon,not quite liking to revisit the study after the previous day's events there. Jack sat in his chair,finding it difficult to look at Len and Con. He cleared his throat and began to speak.  
\-----------------

"Well you have told us what you think is your life choice. What I want to know is what makes you think that?" he started in an oddly detached voice. 

Len and Con looked at each other at the use of the word 'think' and 'choice' and their hearts sank. This was almost worse than a big shouting argument, their father being so cold and calm about it all. 

"I ... We ... It's just something we know, Dad" said Con, pleadingly "I’ve just never really been attracted to any boys, although they are good fun to be around. But Ted..." 

"Fine," said Jack, not wanting to hear about his daughter's love life just yet, nor how long this might have been going on, since they had been at boarding school together and the suggestion was that it had started there. He made a mental note to talk to Hilda about proper supervision for the girls, the Chalet was clearly not keeping up with the times, if this had gone on under the noses of the teachers. 

"Fine," he repeated " Lets look at that statement first. You really haven't spent much time with boys at all, we’ve perhaps kept you too sheltered up her on the Platz, and sending you to an all girl school. Your main experience with boys is with your brothers and cousins Con, so of course you wouldn't feel attracted to them"

Con gulped, trying not to start crying at this cold dispassionate assessment of things. Len made an attempt next. "But Dad, we have known different boys, we meet plenty at Oxford, and several of our friends have brothers. Also it's, its not quite like that, it's not like a lack experience of suitable boys or men, it's...it's different. I took longer than Con to realise, but it is a bit like ..." Len bit her lip, trying to explain. 

"Like suddenly you understand what everyone has been talking about, when it just didn't quite make sense to you before. The only difference is that it's a woman, not a man. Really Dad, that’s the only difference..." she continued. 

Jack leant back and clasped his hands together, still not quite looking at any of them. "So you haven't always felt this way then Len, you have 'realised' later... Is this because of this woman you have met? Is this woman someone we know? Another school friend of yours? And why do you think that you have to move to England to be with her, has she refused to even consider she could move here to be with you?"

Len replied " Oh no, it isn't that. But she has her life there, and her children are just coming up to going to senior school, and I just don't think it would be fair ...."

She stopped as she realised her mistake. "Her children are going to senior school? How much older is this woman ?" Jack barked, looking furious again.  
\------------------------

Er...she...Er..." stuttered Len, not quite sure how to react. Then an element of her own temper, so strongly controlled most of the time, broke the barrier on her ability to talk. 

"If you must know, she’s a year younger than Reg, and the age difference isn't that different to you and Mamma. So don't you dare try to pin this on her, she had nothing to do with it, I had already realised on my own."   
Now she was roused, it was hard for Len to stop "And you are not going to get anywhere with this trying to make us feel young and foolish. I wanted you to know, and I want you to be ok with it, but I am moving to be with her whether you like it or not. Did you really think you could just marry us off to doctors who you can make work at the Platz, just so we would be nearby? I’m sorry Dad, but this is how I am, I could have made no 'choice' to be this way. I ..."

Len stopped, feeling her mother's hand on her arm. Jack had covered his face with his hands, as if trying to defend himself against her rage. She gradually began to calm down, her anger turning to horror as she saw tears begin to slowly trickle past his fingers and down her father's cheek  
\------------------------

Joey sent the girls away and led Jack upstairs to the bedroom. Wordlessly she made him lie down and rest. Once he had regained some of his usual calm she began to talk to him gently. 

"This isn't about the girls Jack," she said, stroking his forehead. "You’ve been working too hard for too long. You need to be proud that our girls have told us so soon, not kept their lives hidden like so many people do."

Jack nodded and took her hand into his own. He had been so tired, so insanely exhausted for so long, it was too hard even to speak. Joey continued, "You haven't been here that much while they were growing, and I think now it has been a shock to realise that they are grown up and able to make decisions of their own."

She spoke a little more, then settled beside him, resting his head in the crook of her arm and holding him close. Jack slept properly for the first time in months. 

\-----------

Margot had returned from Biddy's and was being given all of the details of the past few days. While the triplets waited to find out what would be their parents' next move, they sat in the garden and read, trying desperately to distract themselves from thinking about any of the situtation. A large shadow fell over them, and they looked up to see Steven, Charles and Mike banded together looking purposeful. 

"We want to know what on earth is going on " said Steven.  
\------------------  
Len frowned then made a decision. "We’ve been telling Mamma and dad about our future plans. We are both in love with a woman..." Len, said, then laughed and amended her sentence "At least, not the same woman! I’ve met someone in Cornwall and Con is in love with..."

"Ted." said all three boys simultaneously.  
\----------------------  
Con was going to get jaw problems soon if she didn't stop getting surprises. She looked at her brothers with wide eyes, which made all of them smile, and made Mike begin to laugh and then copy her expression "You really weren't that subtle about it Con, about the only thing that used to get you out of your dreaminess was when Ted was around." said Steve

"And as for you" he continued, turning to Len, "Is it Pru, or someone else ? I'm glad you’ve told the parents finally, it does mean you and Reg should be able to be together probably doesn't it Margot? " 

The triplets were now all doing stranded fish impressions, which made Mike crack up even more. Len made a mental note to talk to Jack Lambert at some stage, she was sure Jack had been working on something that checked for listening devices. How else could the boys know all this?  
\---------------  
Steve began to laugh. "Oh come on, we know you three so well, it was obvious over the past few years what was going on. And you and Reg have been skirting round each other for years Margot, it wasn't hard to guess why he called it off with Len."

Len returned almost crossly " Well I wish you had told me about all this! I've only fairly recently realised myself, now you claim you have known for years!"

Charles added in at this point "Well it was only when Pru left the school that we realised about you," he grinned. "You used to get so obsessive about her letters to you that you would end up checking the post a couple of times through just in case you had missed one. "

Mike grinned at this memory and said "I couldn’t work out to begin with why you suddenly kept making a huge fuss about going to get the letters from the station. I mentioned it to Charles and Steve and they told me their theories."

Len was beginning to feel quite bizarre, realising she had been being talked about in this way by her brothers before she even realised herself. At least it didn't sound like they had been telling other people or anything so silly as betting whether they were right or not. Con found her voice again, " I wish you had given Dad some warning then, he took it really badly."  
\---------------  
The boys looked grave. "That doesn't sound like him, he has always been quite ok about things like that. He told us all about same sex situations when he gave us the 'birds and the bees' talk" Steve said, with a stern glance at Mike who had muttered something under his breath about 'or the birds and the birds in this case...' 

Once Mike had been suitable squashed, Steven continued. "And he’s never been rude to or about any of our friends who are that way inclined."

The triplets were beginning to feel quite amazed at the things the boys knew, and quite jealous that their parents had decided to leave this aspect of things to the school, leaving them only with an excruciating Sex-Ed talk from Miss Wilmot and a confusing suggestion that bananas were required in some way.  
\-----------------  
As they were talking to the boys, Jack and Joey were watching their elder children from the edge of the rose garden. "They do seem quite sure about all this," said Jack, putting an arm around his wife's waist. "As long as they are happy, that’s what matters. Thanks for reminding me of that Joey. And for telling me about Margot and Reg. It will take some getting used to, but we can do it." 

He looked at his wife's face and smiled at her as he continued. "Now we had better put them out of their misery and find out what their plans are. Come on, Mrs Maynard, after you, let's go and meet our grown up children, and hope they don't continue trying to put grey hairs on our heads!"

They walked down the garden to the little scene and began to put the triplets minds at rest


	22. Mixed related stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mixed stories associated with this world around this sort of time. Starts just after Ge and Len get back together

1961 Back to end of Christmas holidays – Kirren Bay, Bride’s House

 

Tom heard a knock on the door. Opening it, she found Dinah Trent standing outside, smiling at her. "I thought I'd come and report on the result of our efforts," said Dinah. Looks as if Len and Ge are talking again at least, which is a start!" 

Tom welcomed her into the house. "Bride’s gone out for the evening, you've just missed her," she said, feeling oddly shy, and sure that Dinah couldn't be there to see her.

"Oh dear, what a shame." said Dinah, despite knowing this perfectly well from waiting just outside the drive for ages until Bride had left. A quick glance over at the Island in the darkening evening had shown that there was a light in the hut, so she was betting Len and Ge wouldn't be back that night. Mrs Kirren, who had been in on the plot to reunite Len and Ge, was babysitting the twins. So Dinah was a free agent, and she had a fair idea of what she wanted to do with her time. She sat down on one of the couches and said,with a smile. "Well we'll have to entertain ourselves then," 

A little overwhelmed, Tom chose a seat nearby, but didn't sit on the same couch. Dinah raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. As the evening wore on, Dinah began to change her view of the situation. She had been able to sense Tom's interest in her, and her only intention that night had been to see if a night of fun was on the cards. 

However, as they talked, she began to realise that Tom was actually quite shy in responding to Dinah's flirting, for all her bluff confident manner normally. Dinah backed off a bit, and was rewarded with Tom relaxing slightly. It didn't take long before they realised their mutual acquaintance in Daisy.   
This was when Dinah saw some of the situation Tom tried so desperately to keep hidden. When Dinah mentioned Laurie, Daisy’s husband, a flicker of hurt flashed across Tom's eyes. It was only there for a moment, but long enough for Dinah to see it. 

By the end of the evening Tom had relaxed, and Dinah had a fair suspicion that she could have gone further with Tom that night if she wished. Surprising even herself, Dinah made the decision that she didn't want to start that way. Her body was not in agreement with her mind, and was most determinedly remonstrating with her for missing out on such a good opportunity, but she held fast, said a cheery good night to Tom and headed back to the farm. 

\-------  
A few weeks later

Daisy opened the door. "Dinah!" she said in surprise. "I didn’t know you were in the area?"

With typical bluntness, Dinah said "I wasn't. But I wanted to talk to you." and stepped in through the door. Not having seen Dinah for about 5 years, Daisy was intrigued, and let her in without a murmur. 

Now she was here, Dinah was almost losing her nerve. "I've met Tom," she blurted out. Daisy mentally searched any people named Thomas she could think of, and couldn’t pick one that seemed obvious. "Er...thats nice" she said. "But which Tom are we talking about?"

Dinah, who had almost convinced herself Daisy was having an affair with Tom, and would instantly know which Tom, started to relax a little. Maybe this was all one sided on Tom's part. "Tom Gay" she said. 

Daisy's face cleared. "Oh that Tom! How is she? Haven’t seen her for ages!"

Dinah looked at her doubtfully. Oh well, she thought, in for a penny in for a pound. "I want to know if there is, or was anything between you" Dinah said all in a rush. "Or ever would be ?" 

Daisy was floored. Where had this come from? She had to take a moment to stare at Dinah in amazement before replying. "No - to all of them. We were at school together. I mean Tom had a form of crush on me as an older girl and prefect, but we all have... I mean, I didn't think it meant anything. Has she said something?"

Dinah shook her head. "I can just tell from how she talks about you. But Daisy, this is important, if you ever left Laurie, would there ever be anything, now you know how she feels?"   
Daisy shook her head. "No, Tom’s like ... a young relative to me, at most. Like my cousin Bride. I can’t even imagine it."

Dinah relaxed. Sharp eyed Daisy noticed this and smiled. "So you are finally looking to settle down a bit are you Di? Well if Tom is interested... which I assume you know?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and teasing smile. 

Dinah nodded and Daisy continued. "Well then, I can't think of anyone more reliable and strong in character than Tom. You need a strong character to deal with that temper of yours. She... To use her own phrase - she's a gentleman."

Dinah smiled at this, and they sat down and moved on to other topics, enjoying the unexpected reunion. 

\-------------  
Next day

Tom wandered along the cliff top, in a world of her own. Suddenly she caught a voice on the wind, calling her name. She turned and was glad to see Dinah. 

"Hey Tom...er... I wanted to talk to you. I...I wondered if you weren't doing anything tomorrow, er.. There is a craft show, and I thought you might like to go .." Dinah gabbled, suddenly as nervous as a teenager with a crush. All of this had sounded so much smoother in her head.

Tom smiled and indicated she would be interested. Dinah took a breath and then said, "I have to be careful too, you know. Being a doctor, it’s a bit like your work with the boys clubs, and people can be... well I thought, if you maybe were interested... We could maybe take it a bit slowly. But we might find we suited a bit more than a craft show... in the long run that is.... " Dinah ran out of steam after this highly incomprehensible pile of words and stood looking slightly embarrassed. 

Luckily Tom understood. A big smile came to her face. "I think that would be nice " she said. 

They walked along for a short while chatting further. As the reached a more secluded part of the path, they looked around, moved a little closer together, and then walked on. They could be seen softly talking, learning about each other and enjoying the peaceful afternoon.   
If you looked closely as they turned the corner you would just about have seen Dinah gently link fingers with Tom's work worn slightly larger hand.

\------

1962 – Grantley House. 

"Come ON Con, come outside, please. Come and see... Just come outside will you?" pleaded Ted, almost dragging Con by the hand towards the door. 

"What’s going on, Ted? What's all the hurry?" laughed Con, allowing the other girl to hurry her along, although not without a slightly wistful look at the table and her notebook. There were so many ideas running around her brain at the moment that she really wanted to note them all down before they ran out of her brain again. But Ted's excited manner and pleading tone told Con that now was not a time for mooning about, mentally chatting with her characters. 

Ted reached the front door and bundled her eagerness. She looked around her, wondering what had brought all of this on, why Ted was behaving so strangely. What she saw made her characters fly away for once. A small, battered but beautiful little campervan was parked in front of her. She stepped forward and then looked back to Ted, with a question on her face. 

Ted was looking uncharacteristically nervous and frowning slightly. "Do you like it?" she said. "I can take it back if you would rather look a little longer?" 

The beaming smile from Con and the arms flung around her neck were answer enough. "Is it ours? Can we afford it?" Con replied, still wanting to check before she let herself look around properly and get too excited. 

"Deposit’s paid. If you think it’s ok, we just have to pay the rest and we are good to go" Ted said, her hands round Con's waist and the huge smile on her own face showing how relieved she was that her surprise had gone so well.   
She had plenty of money herself, inherited from her father's estate, but Con was fiercely independent, and wouldn't let Ted pay for much. Being one of a large family, Con was also acutely aware of the value of money, and tended to deny herself, often forgetting that her own funds didn't have to be split many ways. 

They began to explore the van, with many exclamations of delight at secret compartments, clever storage solutions and folding out of bed platforms. They puzzled together how to build up the sleeping platform, and Ted made a mental note to ad some extra batons to a part that seemed less sturdy than it might need to be with regular use. After an awkward explanation to her brother about how the old pine bed in her room had come apart from its supports and broken completely one night, and some bruises for both her and Con from the collapse, Ted was taking no chances with beds now. 

They set up a gas bottle and gleefully made a cup of tea, and sat down happily to drink it with the door open. Ted's brother and sister in law had to laugh at the beaming pair, when they insisted on making food out in it for them all that evening. But it was an affectionate laughter, and they joined in with the spirit of the thing, ignoring the fact that the food was at different temperatures due to being done on the tiny stove with very little room for pots and pans.

\------------

A few weeks later, with the van all paid for, and both of them free for a weekend, they packed up all the multitudes of things that they would almost certainly never need, and set off on an adventure. 

Ted looked over at Con, and briefly took her hand off the steering wheel to rest it on Con's leg. Con's fingers briefly griped her own and then released, for safety, so that Ted could return to holding the wheel more securely. But the message of 'I’m happy, together in our own space, with no responsibilities' had passed perfectly between them. 

They drove initially with no fixed plan, just enjoying being together, and seeing the different view of the world that the height of the van gave them. Spotting a roadside stall, they stopped and purchased some strawberries and little pots of cream, then carried on till they saw a good stopping point, high enough to provide a good overlook of the surrounding countryside. 

Door open, settled back on the inside seats, they enjoying the fruit and cream, and then sat in amicable silence, revelling in the freedom to just be together. Ted looked around carefully, saw no one else in sight, and placed an arm around Con's shoulders and Con settled back into the crook of her arm, enjoying the chance for simple affection in a relatively public space. 

They stayed like that for a while, until the noise of another vehicle slowing to turn into the overlook meant a reluctant separation. Con took some of the sting out of it by rummaging for the map, as if the movement apart had had a purpose related to their holiday, rather than a need for safety and discretion. 

They worked out where they were, and Ted chuckled as Con added Good strawberries and cream here to the location of the roadside stall, and Good place to eat strawberries, yum. to their current position on the map. 

\-----------

The campsite that they had been looking for was still a little while away, so they cleared up the packages from the food, and set off again, this time with the radio playing in the background. Eventually they came to a steep hill overlooking the sea, and turned into a farm track that led to the campsite. 

Everything was new and exciting, from setting up the van on chocks to make it level, to deciding where to put their windbreak and chairs outside of the van. Another campervan was already parked nearby, and there were several tents. A friendly lady came over to say hello, and offered her sons to help set up the posts for the windbreak 

"After all there’s no need for young girls like yourselves to be using a mallet when there are young strong men like my George and Eddie around." she said cheerily.

Ted winced as she saw young Eddie smash a mallet down onto the poles of his own windbreak, causing one to splinter with the impact. She thanked the lady politely and said that they were fine without any help, they didn't have much to set up, and they were both Guides anyway. 

"Well if you are sure." said the lady doubtfully. "But if there is anything you need help with, you ask, I know they will be glad to help"

They thanked her again, and she left them to continue setting up. Once everything was as they liked it, they wandered down to a nearby beach. Both of them enjoyed the feel of the late afternoon sun as they walked along idly chatting. 

A return to the van saw them cooking a meal and realizing that they had forgotten any drinks at all, a fact that was so reminiscent of expeditions at school that they spent a full half an hour laughing at themselves for doing it. Luckily the campsite was next to a working farm, so they were able to get some milk from there, and there was plenty of water. 

While Con cleared away the remains of the meal, Ted wrestled with the boards and cushions, and managed to make the bed, albeit with a certain amount of un-chalet school approved vocabulary. They started to shut off the curtains and get ready for bed, both looking forward to creating their own little den, with no relatives nearby and no worries about getting up for work in the morning.

Pulling the door shut behind her, Con entered the shadowed space, climbing up onto the bed platform and smiling at Ted. They were looking forward to a whole night together, with no need to think about disturbing anybody. There was no rush, and no need to sneak moments while other people were out of the house, or be quiet to avoid waking Ted's baby nephew at night. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. They froze, and looked at each other. It was too soon after Con had entered the van to pretend to be asleep, so grumbling under her breath, Con backed down off the bed and went to open the door. 

"Surely you two aren't off to sleep yet my dears!" said their earlier visitor, then continued. "My boys are going off to the local village, why don't you join them, all youngsters together ?"

Con politely refused, making the excuse that they had been up early and had a long way to go the next day. The lady seemed determined not to take no for an answer, until finally Ted had had enough. 

She slid off the bed and came along to the doorway. Putting her arm casually on Con's shoulders, she firmly said that they were off to bed now and 'Thank you for the kindness, but we're quite happy thank you'. Con tensed initially at the obvious physical contact between them, then relaxed as she realised that it was deliberate, and also that they need never see any of these people again. 

As Ted leant forward and shut the door she could see the woman's mouth form an 'O' of suprise. They locked the door and Ted made sure that they would be easily able to drive off if there were any retaliations for people realising they were a couple. Con relaxed onto the bed again, waiting for Ted to finish her checks. As Ted clambered back up onto the bed platform, Con looked at her properly and started to giggle. Ted stopped and asked her what was so funny. 

Eventually Con stammered out. " Oh Ted! No wonder that woman looked a bit shocked - your shirt was all undone, and as you bend forward you can see you are wearing your undershirt beneath! If she didn't know about us from the arm on the shoulder, seeing you in men's underwear must have given her the clue. Oh dear!!" 

Ted began to laugh too. " Ah well! To be honest, unless you really are 'Ever so tired, will just drop off to sleep' as you told her, I think they would have had a clue before the night was over anyway..." she said with a teasing look.

Con looked worried. "Oh! That’s true, we’d better be quiet hadn't we" she said, a small frown starting on her forehead. Ted settled down beside her and replied firmly "No, Con, the whole point of this van is to be free, and to be us. I don't care what anyone thinks, and we will almost certainly never see them again anyway. I intend on spending the night whatever way we want" 

Com smiled as Ted began to add actions to her words. It still took her a while to relax again, but Ted knew her mind and body very well, and they were soon fully occupied, all thoughts of other campers forgotten. 

\-----------------

The next morning, they packed up their campsite and got ready to go. They were fully expecting problems, but the woman simply ignored them and her sons just stared at them.   
At last they were on the road home. Apart from that little bit of awkwardness, they had had a great time. All the way home they chattered about where they might go next. As Ted looked over at Con, who was driving this time, she was very glad that she had found the campervan. This smiling jokey Con was a lovely sight to see, and from everything she was saying, Ted could see that she was already thinking about how she could write the holiday into her next story. 

Ted was happy. Although a new story would necessarily mean losing Con to her notebook a little, seeing her this animated was worth it. She settled back into the seat and enjoyed letting the chatter from Con wash over her. Campervans are a good thing, thought Ted. A very good thing.


	23. A trip to a Lighthouse (Around 1961 time, Kirren)

Len struggled awake, wondering why she felt so tired. Then, as Ge muttered in her sleep and moved slightly, she remembered, and smiled.

She'd only arrived at Kirren a few hours earlier, after a nightmare 8 hour journey from Oxford. The plan was to snatch today with Ge, then head back to university the following day, to be back for Monday morning. Len was spending any free weekends she had in this way, trekking by several different trains and buses down to Kirren. It was tiring, but she wanted to spend as much time with Ge as she could, so it was worth it.

The older woman stirred, and opened her eyes. She smiled to see Len looking at her, and pulled her closer, still warm from sleep, and not awake enough to talk yet. Len snuggled closer, and tried to doze off again, knowing that this moment of peace was not likely to last that long.

Sure enough, as the light began to peek around the curtains, there were sounds from the animals, needing attention, and Ge had to get up, and begin the morning tasks. A working farmer doesn't get to sleep in any more at weekends than during the week even if they have been up until the early hours. Ge dressed quickly and came over to drop a kiss on Len's cheek, half buried in the bed clothes.

"Get some more rest, love, I'll be back for breakfast in a bit" Ge said in a low tone, and left as quietly as she could. When Len first started her visits to the farm, she had wanted to be involved with everything, followed Ge sleepily around these morning jobs, trying to help. But Ge was someone who worked best alone, and she was so used to her work on the farm that it was obvious that help wasn't needed. So now Len slept a little longer, and had more energy for later in the day, which suited them both very well.

Ge looked briefly in at each twin as she passed, long habit meaning she couldn't pass their doors without checking. The two ten year olds were still fast asleep, bundled up in a mass of covers against the chill of the spring morning. Ge went out of the farmhouse as quietly as possible, and for half an hour there was peace.

Then, as the light became brighter, Josie tipped herself out of her bed, and padded off to her Aunt's bedroom. Len was woken suddenly by the creak of the door, and a little face appearing barely a few inches in front of her own nose.

"You're back again, then" Josie said, almost conversationally. Len shifted back a bit to see her better, and then nodded.

"Morning Len" came a slightly shyer voice from the doorway, and she smiled at John, standing there with hair tousled up at the back, blinking sleep from his eyes.

Meanwhile, Josie was looking at her sternly. Len was wary of Josie by now, for the little girl was not always thrilled with her presence, seeing her as a rival for Ge's attention. Len got on with John far better, but Josie was always an unknown quantity.

"You probably won't want to, will you." stated Josie incomprehensibly. Len frowned, trying to remember if Ge had mentioned any plans.

"What won't I want to do?" she asked warily, pulling the bedclothes around her shoulders. She looked longingly towards her dressing gown on a nearby chair, but she didn't have much on. She didn't feel comfortable about getting out of bed to get it with the twins there, silly though she knew that was, in a way. She didn't think they were old enough yet to think anything of it, or to properly understand Len and Ge's relationship. However she stayed wrapped up in the covers, trapped in the bed for now.

"Go to the lighthouse" Josie said, still looking stern. "You won't want to go, will you?"

Len was stuck. Was this a longstanding plan that she had interrupted? Should she say Yes, she did want to go? Or was Josie trying to tell her not to come, so that she didn't have to share her Aunt Ge with Len?

Len wasn't going to be left behind, so she chose the first course.

"I'm quite happy to go to the lighthouse, if that's where we're going today" she said, and was rewarded by a huge smile. Josie bounced away, intent on getting up and dressed. Len looked at John, slightly puzzled by all this. He just smiled, pulled the door to and went off to get washed and dressed himself.

Len had her answer soon enough. She was sitting at the breakfast table with the Twins, being told all about their week, when Ge returned to the house. As soon as Ge had taken her boots off, Josie was up and holding onto her, saying that Len wanted to go to the lighthouse today.

"She does, does she?" said Ge, looking over at Len herself, who agreed that she was happy to do whatever was planned. She had enough experience with her young siblings to recognise a scam when she saw it. Clearly this trip hadn't been planned already, despite Josie's earlier implication.

However she did want to get to know the twins better, so if they wanted to go to this lighthouse, she wasn't going to get in the way.

"Well, let me get some breakfast, and then we'll see" said Ge "I told you before that I thought it was too short a visit this time. I think Len might be a bit tired for a scramble like that. Grown ups don't always have lots of energy, Josie"

Josie's face fell, as her plan seemed to be falling apart. "But she wants to go..." she started, then stopped at a piercing look from Ge. "Well... She said she didn't mind. She doesn't look tired, even if she is very old... we could help her ..."

Len spluttered into her coffee, and had to mop her face. After checking that Len was ok, Ge sat down at the table, Josie immediately looping her arms around her aunt's neck as if for a piggyback, then leaning against her in ownership. Len hid a smile, seeing the unconscious message 'She's mine, you don't get her' and wondering whether Ge realised that Josie was feeling a bit displaced.

"We will see." Ge said firmly. "For now, I want you to take Timmy for a walk, both of you"

"But he's been walking with you while you do the chores" Josie objected. Ge gently removed the girl's arms from around her neck and pointed her towards the door.

"Go." was all she said, and both twins obeyed, although Josie was slower to move. Timmy gave Ge a bemused look, but followed them out on John whistling to him.

Len waited until the door swung shut and started to speak. Ge, however, put up a hand, then went over to the window. Sure enough, a few minute later, the tops of two small heads could be seen, just visible over the sill. As the twins moved up to peep in, their eyes met hers, and they grinned sheepishly and ran off.

Len had to laugh, they were such a double act of mischief sometimes. Ge grinned and returned to the table and leant in to say a proper good morning to her.

"What's the story with Josie and the light house, then?" Len said, when they surfaced. "I didn't mean to contradict anything. She caught me off guard."

Ge laughed, and explained. "It's my cousin Julian's fault. He mentioned an old lighthouse that we used to stay in. Ever since, both of them have been obsessed with staying away overnight in the lighthouse. I told them that I wouldn't risk it until there was another adult to go with us."

Len began to understand. "Ahhh! So I'm the adult then?"

Ge nodded. "It's in a bit of an out of the way place, only accessible when the sea is calm enough. I made the mistake of saying that the weather looked likely to be good this weekend. We don't have to go, it's not the most romantic of places to be!"

Len was tempted to say no, to stay in the warm cosy farmhouse until she had to return. She knew that Ge would happily do that, and if she was honest, she wasn't thrilled by the idea of a cold trip out to a lighthouse, probably a night with very little privacy, followed shortly by her 8 hour journey home.

However, being Len, she couldn't help but see things from all sides. John and Josie had barely ever had to share Ge before now. Even if they liked her, she was taking up the limited free time Ge had. The farm could not afford to pay for many extra people, but an old friend of Ge's came in on Sundays to help. Len knew that Sunday had always been Ge's chance for uninterrupted time with the twins.

Len was never one to put her own feelings first, and this was no exception.

"Let's go" she said firmly. "A little bit of adventure sounds good to me."  
Back to index  
Chapter 2 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Thank you for reading and for reviews. :-) Now this was going to go a different way, but blame Elbee for unintentionally sending plot bunnies to me!  
The lighthouse was apparently some way along the coast, and they had to look out camping gear, so it was midday before they left.

The twins started a clearly familiar battle to choose who would go in the front of the car, stopped only when Ge said firmly that neither of them were, Len would be sitting there, they would both be in the back.

Josie scowled, and Len was tempted to say that she didn't mind, however she caught Ge's eye just in time, and kept quiet. Sure enough, Josie didn't sulk for long, and the twins were happily scrapping in the back of the car, as Ge made her way along tiny lanes that were little more than muddy tracks. At last they had arrived, and they unloaded Ge's boat from the trailer.

"You two to that end, I'll take this one" Ge ordered automatically, and the three of them maneuvered the boat expertly down to the water. Len was initially at a bit of a loose end, they were clearly so used to working together that she wasn't really needed. However she shook that feeling away and carried some of the provisions down to the shore, arriving just as Ge remembered her and looked around to see where she was, greeting her with a happy smile.

Len smiled back, as ever amazed by the way that a simple smile from Ge seemed to make the whole day brighter. She forgot momentarily what she was doing, and stood still, just enjoying smiling back.

The twins rolled their eyes at each other at the slowness of grown ups sometimes, and ran off to the car to get the rest of the supplies.

It wasn't far to the lighthouse, and they enjoyed a leisurely row across, before tying up the boat at the mooring post below the entrance.

The twins leapt out and scattered off to explore straight away. Ge contemplated calling them back to help with the supplies, but then thought better of it. She had Len to herself for a brief moment, she wasn't going to be alone with her much this weekend, so she let the twins off this one time. The two women emptied the boat in companionable silence, and sat close together enjoying the sun for a moment before tackling the steps.

All too soon, their peace was shattered, as the twins returned in a pile of exclamations. They shouted over each other in their indignation, and it was a few moments before the message was clear.

"The door was open!"  
"We looked in a room and.."  
"..and there's three men in there!"

Ge stood up and looked towards the lighthouse with a frown. Three men? She set off up the steps to investigate for herself, telling Len and the twins to stay near the boat. She told Timmy to stay with them too, in case there was any danger. She hoped that it was only some trippers, out for the day, but she'd had so many adventures by now that she was always on alert.

She looked cautiously in the room mentioned. Sure enough, there were three young men there, probably in their early 20s, enjoying a picnic meal; And was that a monkey sitting on the windowsill? She had a moment wondering if Tinker was anywhere around, after all it was his lighthouse. But as she looked closer, she could see that the monkey wasn't Tinker's Mischief, although she was quite similar.

Ge looked at the men, who were far too intent on enjoying their meal to notice her yet. The largest had corn coloured hair, very tanned skin, and curious blue eyes spaced widely apart. Another was clearly younger than the other two, and had a cheeky face with a snub of a nose. The third had his back to Ge, so she couldn't see him that clearly, but he looked fit and strong, as did the others.

As she tried to decide what to do, she was startled by a noisy patter of paws on the stairs, and a black spaniel launched himself towards her, growling fiercely. He was followed by a young woman, who descended the last few stairs and looked at Ge curiously. Ge felt strangely like an intruder, and had to remind herself that she had a right to be there.

Timmy had heard the spaniel, and come racing up the steps, closely followed by Len and the twins. The two groups stood facing each other, surprise on all of their faces.

What was going on?  
Back to index  
Chapter 3 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Have put a link at the end for the 'intruders' but you don't really need to know who they are, it's only a brief cameo appearance ! Just a reminder again, Ge is about 30 ish, Len early 20s, the twins 10. This is about 3 years before School of Adventure. Approx 1960.  
The darker haired man stepped forward, and opened his mouth to speak, even as the snub nosed lad called sharply to the dog.

"Loony! Stop that, wait before you leap at people! " he said, and the dog stopped barking, almost as if he were obeying Snubby. His cousins and Barney suspected that it might have had more to do with Ge's dog Timmy standing firm beside her and showing his disapproval of noisy little dogs very distinctly.

His cousin tried again, stepping forward with hand held out to shake.

"Hello there, Roger Lynton. Don't like to be rude, but I think you might not realise that this lighthouse is private?"

Ge was taken aback, having been determined that they were trippers, with no right there. She was almost tempted for a moment to go outside and check that she had the right lighthouse. Quickly enough she shook that notion away, it wasn't as though there were many lighthouses like this in the area, after all.

"We do know that it is private." she began, not sure whether to take his hand or not. It still could be a trap, but it would be rude not to, so she gave it a quick shake, then released, not giving time for a grip and attack. "The owner's a friend of mine. Methusulah Hayling ? He didn't mention anyone else likely to visit?"

"Good Lord, is that Tinker's real name?" Snubby exclaimed, eyes wide. "No wonder he doesn't use it"

Ge relaxed a little. These people clearly did at least know Tinker, so probably did have a right to be there. She explained. "Actually, I've no idea. No one seems to know Tinker's real name - I even remember his father saying so! Sorry to test you like that, I wasn't sure if you were supposed to be here or not, Tinker hadn't mentioned that anyone else had keys to the lighthouse."

The man with corn coloured hair and wide set eyes grinned and stepped forward to shake hands himself. 

"Very wise, although I do promise we are mainly harmless. I'm Barney, this is Diana and this is Snu.. "

At this, Snubby straightened up, and interrupted. The older woman looked rather fierce, but still strangely attractive, the one standing with the kids wasn't bad either. Snubby was beginning to see himself as a ladies man, and was not minded to start off with his childhood nickname.

"Ahem! Peter Lynton. At your service." he said, shooting a glare at Barney for nearly calling him Snubby. His cousins and Barney barely stifled a grin, this latest fad of Snubby's to be called by his proper name was quite amusing, since he himself forgot half the time.

Ge and Len both shook hands all round, Len rather confused by how long Snubby held her hand, and by the slightly shy look from Roger as he said hello.

Josie and John had been quiet for what seemed to them an age. Josie tugged on Ge's sleeve.

"They aren't staying over here though, are they?" she whispered audibly. Barney and co looked awkward, and shot glances between them.

"We'd rather planned on staying overnight, we came by the undersea tunnel, you see. It's a bit of a trek to go back in a day." Roger said apologetically. "There should be room for all of us though, if you don't mind sharing a few facilities? Barney and Diana could give you their room and share with us?"

Sharp eyed Ge noticed a slight sign of disappointment pass Barney and Diana's faces, but they agreed gamely enough. Those same sharp eyes noticed that Diana wore no wedding ring, which explained the blush at her brother so casually giving away the room plans to strangers.

Ge wasn't quite sure what to do, for John and Josie had jumped at this plan, and were already edging towards the stairs, desperate to explore. She didn't really want to share the weekend with strangers, but it would be quite awkward to refuse such a friendly offer. She turned to look at Len, see what she thought, and was disconcerted to see that Len was looking sideways at Barney, with a distracted expression that Ge couldn't quite read.

That nearly settled it for Ge. She had a deep fear of losing Len, especially to a man, as she once thought she'd lost Jo. She wanted to get off this island and back to the safety of the farm, where there were no handsome young strangers around. Len, who had merely been sure she recognised the young man from somewhere, realised Ge was looking at her, and misread the question in Ge's body language.

"I'm ok to stay here, if you are" she said, and smiled at Ge, slightly confused by the strange look in her eyes.

At this the twins decided the decision had been made, and made their way to the stairs and up them with leaps and bounds. Ge was stuck with the situation, and with this horrible dread that Len might fall for one of these boys, might change her mind about everything.

As the afternoon wore on, Ge fell deeper into a black mood. Barney was friendly, charming and polite. Len kept darting looks at him, and seemed unusually interested in asking him questions about his life and family. Ge didn't blame her. After all, Barney was a similar age, handsome, he didn't have two children in tow. He even seemed to live quite near Oxford, so no tiring great treks for brief visits. Ge's insecurities built a whole case for Len and Barney being ideally suited. He might well be with this other girl for now, but who would chose Diana Lynton over Len Maynard? Not Ge, and so she assumed that Barney would be the same.

Diana and Roger meanwhile were both wondering what the situation was with these two women, they seemed to be quite different in age. Perhaps Ge was Len's older sister? Although their surnames were different, and the twins called Ge "Aunt Ge" so perhaps Ge was Len's aunt too? Roger was trying to work out a good way to try to start a conversation with Len, he wasn't as smooth with the girls as Barney or even Snubby. Snubby had a natural charm that his 12 year old self had used to get him extra helpings at meals, or to avoid punishment. Now that he had suddenly noticed the girls he was using that same charm, with quite a lot of success. Roger was glad to see that Len appeared immune, but she did seem interested in Barney, which Diana wouldn't be happy about.

Len herself was just enjoying meeting these new people, and trying to work out why on earth Barney seemed so familiar. Secure in her own feelings for Ge, it never occurred to her that anyone would read more than friendly interest into her giving attention to Barney.

The twins had explored thoroughly, and been most put out when Ge wouldn't let them explore the secret passage. She'd been keeping it a secret, not keen on risking them in undersea tunnels.

Snubby was intrigued by this mysterious "Aunt Ge", and decided to try to impress her by helping with the twins. So he distracted them by starting to tell them about some of the adventures that he and the others had had. He was surprised that they weren't hugely impressed, not knowing that their own family had had far more widespread and dramatic adventures as children. He changed tack a bit, and began a tale that he'd heard in the village on the mainland that day.

"This lighthouse has it's own adventurous past, you know" he began, gratified to see that now both the twins and Ge seemed interested. "Twenty years ago a group of teenagers came here, three boys and a girl..."

Ge hid a smile, still secretly pleased for her teenage self that the villagers had remembered her as a boy. She couldn't help but feel a bit distressed by the '20 years' bit, for it had been about 16 at most. She pondered whether to correct Snubby, but John got their first, appealing to her for clarification.

"Aunt Ge, it wasn't three boys, was it. It was you an' Aunty Anne, an' Uncle Julian and your friend Tinker and ..."

John fizzled to a stop. He was still slightly unsure about what to call Dick Kirren, whether 'Dad' or 'Uncle Dick' was right. After all he didn't feel much like a dad, but he wasn't really an uncle. Aunt Ge didn't like them talking about him, it was only being caught up in the story that had made John nearly forget.

The Lyntons and Barney were looking at her, and Snubby was looking most put out to have his story corrected.

"I think you must be confused, this all happened 20 years ago, and it was three boys and a girl" he began again. Ge couldn't let John down, so she joined in and set Snubby straight, initially pleased by his statement that he couldn't believe she was old enough to be the George Kirren from the old tale. Then as the conversation moved on, the very fact of that adventure being about 16 years ago, and Snubby's casual comment that he was only age 3, and the others about 4 or 5 made her suddenly feel very old. She fell back into a black mood.

She was so much older than Len. How could they hope to make this work? Should they even try? Everything seemed against them. The age difference; the distance from Oxford; Len's studies and her family living overseas, the responsibilities with the twins. Was it really going to work out between them?

Ge's black mood continued, and she couldn't help being snappy with a most confused Len. Even the twins gave her a wide berth, and she rolled into her sleeping bag battling her temper and not really suceeding.  
End Notes:  
http://www.enidblyton.net/barney-mystery/

And for Tinker and the lighthouse. http://www.enidblyton.net/famous-five/five-go-to-demons-rocks.html  
Back to index  
Chapter 4 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Thanks for reading. :-)  
Len lay near to Ge, looking at the hunched back and covering rug held tightly round the older woman's shoulders. She didn't understand quite what had gone wrong. Ge had put a huge emotional distance between them, barely looking at her, certainly not being at all keen for Len to be near. Open, caring Len just couldn't understand such a change in attitude. She hadn't thought twice about chatting with Barney, and if she had realised Ge's jealousy and insecurity she would have been amazed. To Len the idea that she would suddenly change, would want to be with a man was unthinkable. Even if she weren't with Ge, she had looked back at her younger self and realised that this had been the way she had always been. If she expected jealousy, she'd have thought it to be towards a woman now, men just didn't cross her radar as anything other than brothers, cousins or friends. If she was honest, they never really had, Reg to her had been like a cousin or uncle from the start. She had been swept along by everything, by everyone's expectations, and saw now what a lucky escape she had had.

Not that she didn't like and care for Reg, he was a nice enough man. It was just nothing compared to the way that Ge took hold of every part of her, became a central point for everything. They just fitted together, complimented each other's strengths, protected each other from any harm without even needing to make an effort.

Until tonight, where Len had been caught up in Ge's natural tendency to avoid hurt by pushing others away. Ge wasn't in charge of her own actions tonight, she had convinced herself so totally that Len was interested in Barney that she was 12 again. Not Ge, but a young George Kirren, sulkiness, selfishness and stroppiness to the fore. But more than that, she was at the mercy of that insecurity, doubt of her own worth, and of the temper inherited from her father. She'd quite decided that she was bad for Len, that Len should go and not keep using all her money and time to visit her. It was disturbing the twins as well, and Ge had to think of that. Especially if it wasn't to be a long term relationship after all.

So she pulled away when Len lay down beside her, refused to respond in any way, eventually pretending to snore. Len lay there, wondering what had gone wrong. Perhaps Ge was feeling ill? Or had she done something wrong, hurt Ge in some way? She worried about it all so much that sleep seemed impossible.

Len could hear the young group downstairs, still softly talking and laughing together. Ge had gone to bed very early, blaming the youth of the twins, and Len had automatically followed her lead, assuming they might get at least a little time to chat quietly together, or just lie close, maybe hold hands, or cuddle in a bit together, although obviously only out of sight of the twins. Now Ge was being so strange, and she herself couldn't sleep. Len decided that she may as well go and join the group still awake below. She softly slipped into some clothes and made her way downstairs.

The others were friendly and welcoming, and she started to cheer up a little. Diana went to make some tea for them all. Len followed her to help, to Diana's surprise. The other young woman had assumed Len to be interested in Barney too, but was secure enough with her steady loyal Barney to not really worry too much about it. But Len had no thoughts for Barney at all, never had. She had decided to shelve the niggle in her head about why he seemed so familiar, for now. If she was meant to remember, she would. She chatted quietly to Diana as they made tea, and they took it back through through to the others.

Snubby was still hoping to impress this girl, and launched into a description of one of the group's adventures, in the village of Rubadub. Len enjoyed the story, interspersed with Snubby demonstrating his imaginary banjo playing. It was at the end of the tale however, that she suddenly had a breakthrough. Snubby was telling Barney's story, much to the older lad's embarrassment. Len heard all about how Barney's mother had married a Shakespearian actor, and then run back to the circus without telling his father about Barney being born. To everyone's surprise, Len barely reacted to the exciting bit of the story, the finding of Barney's father and instead sat forward eagerly and addressed the fair haired boy with his wide eyes and honest face.

"Oh that's it! I knew I recognised you! Tell me, are you a relation of Sir William Carew, the Shakespearian actor?" she asked excitedly. Barney looked taken aback, then nodded.

"He's a cousin of Dad's" he said, "They both come from a long line of theatre folk. Why do you ask?"

"I've been so sure that I recognised you, had met you before. I just couldn't, for the life of me, pinpoint where" Len explained. "But Sir William is the father of a friend of mine - Jane Carew"

Barney grinned, understanding now why Len had been staring a bit, been so interested. He knew Jane, of course, and was pleased to find that it was such a small world. He'd only had a family to call his own for a few years, and it still thrilled him to have people mention how similar he was to the rest of his family.

\-----

Upstairs, all Ge heard was Len's voice, happy tones, followed by Barney's. She twisted herself even further round into her rug, and set her face in a stubborn frown. Len wouldn't stay around, she'd be gone, if not with Barney, then with someone else. It was safer to back away now, not risk getting hurt. They'd make an early start the next day, get back to the farm, and then Len would go back off to Oxford, get on with her life. Ge would go back to her own. It had all been a silly dream, to think that Len would be around for ever.

The next morning, Ge was still in a black mood. The twins exchanged looks and just kept out of her way, and after being snapped at a few times, Len did the same. They said goodbye to their new friends, and Barney promised the twins he would look out for them when next in the area, and show them round whichever circus or fair he was with at the time. His family had sent him to school, and he had tried a few traditional jobs, but always been drawn back to the circus life. He was due to travel with Gallianos circus next, and Ge was able to join in the conversation, share a few mutual acquaintances, even briefly forget that she disliked him. Her eyes were still cold when she returned to Len, however, and her tone was sharp.

The journey back was a tense one, with any attempt at conversation from Len being rebuffed or ignored. Ge talked to the children perfectly normally, but to Len there was an edge that she had never before heard in Ge's voice, and it hurt and puzzled her. She wanted to ask why, but they had no time to themselves until back at Kirren and setting off to drop Len at the station. Even then, Ge tried to see if one or both of the children wanted a ride. Ge's mother was there to babysit however, and with an instinct for her daughter's moods, she distracted the twins, so the couple could be alone in the car. Fanny Kirren had seen the difference in her daughter, how happy she had been since meeting Len, and she wasn't about to let Ge push this nice girl away. Before they left she pulled Len aside and told her to make Ge talk.

"She'll snap at you, but you have to get past that. Don't let her put you off. Whatever it is you've argued about, make her face up to it" she said, then was gone back inside before Len could say that they hadn't argued, she didn't know what was wrong.

Len sat in the car in silence. She wasn't sure how she should handle things at all. She was used to dealing with Margot's moodiness, and the best thing for her was to leave her alone, but Mrs Kirren seemed to think she should talk to Ge. Len didn't know what to think, this was her first real relationship. She hated the idea of leaving when things were so wrong between them. But she just didn't know what had happened.

She tried a few times to talk, and was squashed with silence or short unfriendly answers. They pulled in by the station and Ge muttered a goodbye without looking at Len or getting out of the car to join her on the platform. Ge had managed to build her woes into a certainty that Len had been with Barney the previous night, despite the lack of logic behind the belief. She was determined to push Len away before the younger woman deserted her for an easier, more conventional life. She just sat in a deep sulk, telling Len to get out of the car and go, get back to Oxford and friends her own age, like Barney.

That was when Len finally got a glimpse of the problem, and was speechless, before rage at how stupid it all was filled her, not least how insulting it was that Ge didn't trust her. She had a very strong control over her temper, but it was a hot one nonetheless, and she was tired after a few short nights. Everyone always said that when Len blew up, it was a fearsome sight, all the more powerful for being rare.

"I'm not having this!" she stormed, and Ge looked at her in surprise. "I don't know what you think you're doing, Ge Kirren, but you won't drive me away that easily. What have I done? Talked to some friendly people? Been slightly distracted trying to work out where I remember a face ? You can look at or talk to other people, but not me, is that it?"

Ge had been simmering all day, and she herself had a temper to beat most others. She was shaken out of her sulks, and began to fight back, all the built up frustration and insecurity pouring out, to an open mouthed Len. Len couldn't believe how much Ge had built this mountain up from such a tiny molehill, but she was determined to nip this in the bud. She had very little patience with jealousy, a long family like hers couldn't tolerate it without due cause, otherwise Jack and Jo would have been constantly refereeing squabbles.

Once Ge had got going, she was not easy to stop, and Len was determined to make her see how unnecessary this all was, if she had to miss a dozen trains to do so. Oblivious to their surroundings, they raged at each other, neither properly listening to the other, Ge trying to make Len get out of the car, Len proving that she was not to be brushed aside, she would have this out, whether Ge wanted to or not.

Ge had burnt off a lot of her mood with the powerful argument, and gradually began to see Len's side, to wonder if she had overreacted. She wasn't ready to apologise, but stopped answering back, letting Len rant on. Len had had a tiring term, a difficult holiday time telling her parents about being with Ge, and was not looking forward to her 8 hour journey back, then an early tutorial the next day.

Finally, they both subsided into silence. They sat there still, neither willing to look at the other, until finally they caught each other's eye, and started to laugh. It wasn't solving anything, but that laugh was a good sign. In years afterwards, they raged at each other on occasion, they both had too strong a character not to, but they always managed to get finally back around to laughter, and that usually spelled the beginning of healing.

Len missed that train, missed her tutorial the next day. In fact she missed the week, citing "family reasons" to her tutors, and for once letting herself do what she wanted rather than what she ought to do. She had religiously attended every lecture, every tutorial, never missing a single moment of her studies, and so for Len this was almost a rebellion, choosing of her own path for once.

It was Ge who insisted on her returning to Oxford, but with peace between them.

"You're a born teacher, even I can see that, and I hated them" she said seriously to Len that last night before her return. "You've worked too hard to stop now. Go back, don't get yourself too far behind. I'll be here, we can work out how we make this work once you are qualified."

It was good advice, and so Len took it, returned to Oxford, to catch up on work and be teased unmercifully by Ted and Con for her absence. She quite enjoyed the affectionate jokes, and was pleased to realise the sky hadn't fallen for giving herself a little time away. It was a good lesson, and a slightly less law abiding and responsible Len was able to escape, to decide for herself whether sometimes rules and deadlines were meant to be broken.


	24. Meeting the relatives

Len waved out of the window to her sister and Ted, then settled back onto the seat ready for her long trip down to Cornwall. She was looking forward to seeing Ge and the twins, but apprehensive about her news.

It had seemed a lovely idea when the letter from her mother had arrived. A holiday for Ge and the twins, a way to be together without upsetting her parents by staying in England for the whole break. After all, the twins would enjoy Switzerland, and Ge... Well Ge might enjoy it ...

Len had decided that she needed to ask Ge in person. Every letter that she started just didn't come out the way she wanted, and it didn't feel the type of thing that Ge would react to well on the phone, even if they could get through reliably. The phone service at Kirren was notoriously faulty, and Len spent hours trying to place a call sometimes. 

So she decided to wait until she saw Ge in person, discuss the pros and cons properly together face to face.

\-------

Back on the platform Ted and Con stopped waving and lowered their arms. They smiled at each other, and with one accord left the station to return to the rooms that Len and Con usually shared. Officially Ted lived elsewhere, but in reality her rooms were little more than storage space, or a place to return to after a fight.

Len was a patient room-mate, but they rarely had time completely alone, so they cherished her visits to Ge. After so many years together it wasn't even the opportunity for sleeping together that they looked forward to most. It was little things: Making food together for just the two of them; Reading and studying together without getting up and properly dressed; Not making conversation unless they felt like it.

This time however, they had their own decisions to make. Ted had recently moved fully in with her brother's family, finally giving up all pretense of getting on with her mother. So she was excited to have a room to properly call her own, a home where she was loved as herself, and able to be and dress how she felt inside, and wanted Con to spend the holidays with her there. Yet they were both tempted by the idea of summertime in Switzerland. Con had received an invitation for Ted and herself to stay at Freudesheim. Ted loved the Maynard family, but she had always had to wear at least slightly female clothes when at the Platz, also she hadn't seen Jack or Joey since Con's coming out, and was nervous of their reaction to her. The main thing that they knew was that they wanted to be together. Both options had their good and bad points, so they had to decide which to choose. They walked off arm in arm, discussing their summer plans, and looking forward to some time alone.

\------

Margot looked at the letter in front of her. She had been so pleased to get it, but now she was just as torn as her sisters about the decision. She knew that Reg would be desperate to say yes. He could get some time off, although only about a week. She knew that he missed being at the Platz, even now. He didn't really understand how angry Jack had been with him. Margot wanted to believe that everything would be fine, but deep down she knew that Jack was not going to forgive that easily. Reg had his own temper, and she was afraid that it would be anything but restful being with him and her family. But Margot was a fiercely honest person, and she couldn't see herself lying or omitting to mention the invitation to Reg. As soon as he knew about it, he would be sure to want to try to rejoin the family, wouldn't listen to her misgivings.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she looked at the letter again. It was so kind of her mother to invite Reg, to have obviously smoothed the way for Jack to accept him being there. It just ... Didn't help. Margot had been starting to be a little irritated by Reg, and deep down was a little less sure about their rekationship. She was all muddled in her thoughts as it was, and adding family tension to that mix did not seem wise. She was so tempted not to pass the invitation on, to stay in England for Reg's holiday and then return to the Platz after that.

She knew that she'd have to tell him however, he would be angry later if she didn't. So she sighed again and pulled her notepaper and pen towards her.

'Dearest Reg...' she began; trying to work out as she wrote what she wanted, and not really succeeding.

'You know how we planned to go on a walking holiday this year? Well ...'

\--------

Joey Maynard sat at the breakfast table, frowning at the list in front of her. Jack had long since gone to the San, and Marie Claire and Second twins were off on their own (hopefully lawful) pursuits. So Joey was alone, but still occasionally talking to herself, as she worked through her thoughts.

"So we potentially have Len and Ge, Con and Ted, Margot and ... Well no, we can't have Margot and Reg together of course..." she muttered, then paused, pen in hand, as she realised the implications of the situation.

Con and Ted had usually shared a room over the past few years, but that hadn't been when they were openly in a relationship. Instinctually Joey had put 'Len's friend' in with her in bedroom allocation, but as she thought more about it, she realised that things had changed. If Len and Ge could share, she could hardly say that Margot and Reg couldn't. Margot would be the first to notice such inequality. Yet there was no way that Jack would accept Reg sleeping in his daughter's room before marriage. He was barely accepting Reg being on the Platz at all, only slightly swayed by Joey's common sense approach. Joey knew her daughter, and making Reg forbidden and unobtainable was only going to push her towards him, and they risked losing her if they didn't at least try to forgive. After all, Len had forgiven, and she really was the one affected most by the pair's actions. It had been 2 years since Reg broke his commitment to Len, and if she felt able to be around the pair, then Jack and Joey could hardly refuse.

Jack still hadn't been keen. "The man clearly abused our trust, he set his sights on our daughters while still at school. Before you quote our own relationship - it's different. I was your friend before any romance, and if you hadn't been ready I would have waited."

Joey closed her mouth and let him continue his rant.

"Reg wasn't really happy with me saying Len was too young. I wasn't convinced then, his feelings seemed to come out of the blue. Then even worse, we find out the reason. He couldn't have one daughter, so he went for the other, then when Margot wanted him, he dropped Len with almost no explanation. I'm sorry Joey, I still think that he has the wrong motives. He's wanted to be a part of this family for years, and I tried to treat him as such, helped him through his medical training, and supported him here... I just feel that Margot doesn't know what she is doing, doesn't really understand how traditional and set in his ways Enwhistle is... I just don't like it."

He fizzled out, and Joey nodded her agreement. She felt that Margot was better suited to Reg than Len, but still had her doubts about whether Reg suited Margot. Joey understood Jack's feelings, but she also knew her daughter. Margot needed a challenge, and also was attracted to the forbidden.

There were positive sides to the relationship. Margot needed a steadying hand at times, and Reg knew how to manage her. His being a bit older also meant that he knew what he wanted, and could be a stable rock for her tempestuous daughter, and if anyone could break Reg's stubbornness, Margot would be the one.

Whichever way it went, she wanted Margot to know she had a home to go to, with or without Reg. So she'd persuaded Jack to agree to inviting him to stay, and sent invitations to Len and Con's other halves as well, hoping a group might diffuse tensions if they arose.

It was only now, as she worked out sleeping plans, that she realised the ramifications of inviting the others. It was one thing letting Con and Ted be together; Ted had been staying at Freudesheim for years now, although Joey obviously had only more recently known how close they were. However they didn't know Ge at all, and really, if she were a man there would be no question of them sharing. As Joey thought ahead, she realised that it would not be long before Stephen and Charles might be wanting to bring girls to meet them. She had to start as she meant to go on.

So Joey now had to work out where she could put everyone without upsetting too many people. It wasn't an easy task, even with the amount of rooms at Freudesheim. She frowned and tapped the pen against the side of her face, deep in thought.

Back to index  
Chapter 6 21/06/12 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Have finally got some better carrot juice into these bunnies, am hoping it continues ! This isn't quite as I'd like it but every time I re-edit I make it worse or repeat myself, so it'll have to do! There was to be a little Ted and Con bit at the end but their bunnies suddenly decided to make their bit an update in itself, so that will be the next chapter. 

Thank you for commenting, it's lovely to know people are reading and getting involved in the story.  
Ge stood at the edge of the cliff, hands in pockets, trying to work out what she felt about all this. Somehow, when she'd allowed herself to let down her barriers, admit her attraction to Len, she really hadn't registered that it was a two way thing. That as well as Len getting to know the twins and her own friends and family, Ge had to do the same for Len's relatives. 

It hadn't really been an issue before. "Gypsy" Jo hadn't really had much contact with her own family, so Ge and she had been able to create their own little family of close friends around them. They'd all been a similar age, and things had gone pretty much all Ge's way, she hadn't really had to compromise much.

Now she was suddenly having to change her habits, get to know new people again. Len's sisters were nice enough, and Ge had been friends with Len's cousin Bride for years. There was no reason that the rest of her family would be any different. Yet Ge felt an irrational fear of finding out what they were like, feeling that it would be stressful, even on her own territory, at Kirren. Now this suggestion from Len's mother meant travelling hundreds of miles with the twins, meeting Len's parents in their own home.

Ge wanted to say no. Wanted to make one of several excuses. After all the farm needed looking after; the travelling would be tiring; it was a long way. But she knew that she could safely leave the farm in the hands of her friends and family for a short trip, they all were trustworthy and knew what was needed. She wanted to object on the grounds of cost, but Len's parents had offered to pay the return fare. The children could have been another excuse, but it really would be a good experience for them, she knew that.

Most of all, she knew that it would make Len happy. Len wasn't the type to ask for much really, and Ge knew that she wouldn't push if Ge said no. But she was only young, and Ge knew that she missed her family, missed her home.

Len was idealistic and trusting, proud of her new little family, and wanted them to be part of her larger circle of relatives. Ge was in a way quite pleased that Len was so proud of them, but she was much more wary of how irrational people could be when actual evidence of the relationship was before them. Len's extended family was running a boarding school in the Alps after all, likely to be rich, conservative and conventional. Ge wanted to trust their love for Len to keep things amicable, but experience told her there were no guarantees how people would behave.

There was only one way that this decision could go, Ge knew that. The twins and Len would really like to go, and there really weren't any reasonable objections to the plan. She might enjoy a holiday herself; she hadn't really been far away from the farm for over a decade. She just wished that she felt sure how Len's parents would react, how they would treat her and the twins. Ge had a nagging fear that this was a campaign on their part to keep their daughter near.

Ge was deeply afraid that Len would want to move back to Switzerland, and dreaded her ever making that suggestion. She loved Kirren and everyone she cared for lived near enough to visit her and the twins.

She and Len were finding that the more time they spent together, the better they fitted. They'd worked out many of the small tangles of a new relationship, and now Ge really trusted and understood that Len was not a risk, wasn't interested in anyone else, wasn't going anywhere. In a fairly small amount of time, they had found out how well they matched each other; knew that they wanted to be together, were just meant to be a pair.

They had no issues beyond little niggles all couples had; no questions about being together. They both knew that they worked around each other well, made choices together easily and answered questions as they came up without undue concern.

Except for the most important one, the one Ge just couldn't bring herself to ask. Once university was over, what would Len do ? Where would she want to be?

There were no local schools, very few suitable jobs for her in Kirren, and she really wasn't needed on the farm. She had planned to be a teacher, and Ge could see that she was born to the job.

Ge wanted to be with Len, and for Len to be happy; but again and again she hit a mental block about how it all would work. Len could easily get a job at her old school, but could Ge herself cope with moving from Kirren? The twins were already getting some problems at school, and adults in the village added their prejudice due to their gypsy heritage. Once Len was living at Kirren full time, it would be even harder to shield the twins from gossip.

Perhaps it would be better for them all to have a fresh start somewhere else, a larger place where people didn't know everyone else's business. Perhaps moving away might be good for everyone. The farm was barely paying it's way, Ge knew that it wasn't a strong reason to stay. So Ge knew that these years when Len was still training were a buffer, that there were no guarantees that things would always go this smoothly.

The holiday together would be good for all of them. She knew that in the end she would agree to go. But she had a horrible feeling that this summer trip would force an answer to the longer question, one way or another, and she was deeply afraid of what the answer might be.

\----------

Margot sat on the train, waiting to pull into the station, looking out for Reg joining the train. As she saw him on the platform, she couldn't help but smile. He was a nice man, a loyal and caring person, and when she saw him she was reminded of safety, of her father and the other doctors, honorary uncles of her childhood. Reg wanted to do the best for her, and was determined to make them a future, to support and provide for her.

He grinned in delight as his searching eyes found her in the carriage, and boarded the train with a happy leap up the steps. She welcomed him with a matching smile, enjoying the novelty of being able to openly travel with him, that there wasn't the need any more to pretend to be just friends.

Until recently they had had to be so careful, in case anyone from the school or extended family saw them together. She did feel better having been honest with her family, glad not to be hiding or lying by omission. If a little part of her had relished the forbidden nature of their relationship, she told herself that that was childish, silly.

She sat with him, glad to hear his voice, to be near to him. Now she was with him the slight irritation and worry about going to the Platz together seemed much less of an issue. They were only momentary flashes of feeling, that passed as soon as he sat next to her, smiled at her with his whole face and sparkling eyes.

He loved her so clearly, cherished her so obviously, she felt blessed to have such attention from him. He was still young, handsome, and they could talk for hours about medicine. She snuggled closer to him as the train carried on, and they began the trek back to the Platz together for the first time. She chided herself for being contrary, for craving a bit more excitement.

'I could do a lot worse than Reg Entwhistle', Margot thought to herself, and began to look forward to their week together, and her summer holiday in Switzerland.

Back to index  
Chapter 7 24/06/12 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Thank you for reading and commenting! 

If anyone doesn't know the background of Ted's story, it's in Theodora's Journey, but you don't really need it for the story in general. http://sallydennylibrary.co.uk/viewstory.php?sid=105&warning=1

 

Ted and Con stood chatting at Oxford station, having stowed their luggage in the van with time to spare. They were waiting until the last minute before entering the carriage, for the day was hot, and the train was full. It was stifling in there, and neither of them were keen to wait in the heat while the engine was changed and some carriages disconnected.

They were making the most of the sunshine, idly chatting, but mainly just enjoying being together. Both of them were pale and tired, but more relaxed in general than they had been for a while. The exams had been hard, but possible, and they both felt they had earned a good holiday. They'd decided to split the summer break equally between their homes, going to Switzerland first, then back to England later. 

Con was looking forward to everything, but Ted had a few reservations still, although she was doing her best to hide them. She was really worried about how the Maynards might react to her, whether they might think that she'd led Con astray. Ted knew that wasn't the case, Con had always known her own mind; But she just couldn't know whether Jack and Joey would blame her. She'd always been hugely grateful to the Maynards for treating her almost like one of their own, and part of her feared that they would be regretting that now, wishing that they hadn't been a refuge for her from her spoiled and childish mother. 

Ted was also concerned about the journey across Europe, and about how the other Platz residents might react to her. She was wearing her leisure clothes for the first time, which were very masculine in cut and style. She felt much more comfortable in them than the clothes she wore all through term, and they were light years away from those she had to wear at her mother's house.

Mrs Grantley had never really given up the idea that Ted could be converted, and insisted on her daughter wearing unflatteringly lacy and frilly clothes, long past the age when others her age were wearing simpler, practical wear. This had led to a reaction once Ted was free to make her own choices, and those choices were a direct swing to very manly clothes. She found herself feeling safer and more comfortable than she had for years, finding her own style and showing the way she felt inside in this harmless rebellion. She'd worried about going to the Platz, felt that she ought to perhaps tone her cross dressing down a bit. However Con had been adamant that they would start as they meant to go on.

"They see us all often enough in climbing trousers, and they know you've never been worried about looking dainty. You never look untidy, just unconventional." she had said, removing more neutral clothes Ted wore in term time from their bag, and encouraging her to pack only things she wanted to wear.

"But Con... slightly unconventional for England is ... just so far from the clothes they all wear on the Platz..." Ted said, loving the support, but worried nonetheless. "It may be the 60s in London and Oxford, but it feels almost like the 1940s up there. It was different when we were at school, people don't expect as much from schoolgirls" she worried, trying to explain but not sound too critical. 

Even if Con didn't take offence easily, Ted herself saw the Chalet School and Platz as home in many ways as much as Con did. It felt almost disloyal to be be negative about the place. 

The Chalet School had done a lot for rebuilding Ted's confidence, as had the stability of the Maynard family. Ted's brother had only recently been able to move back to England and provide a solid home for her, away from her mother's resentment and dislike. Since Ted had moved in with her brother's family, she'd been able to be fully herself, and was just starting to trust the fact that her brother loved her anyway, didn't share their mother's attitude. So she was far less tense when convention did require her to dress a different way. If it helped smooth the way with Jo and Jack she would even have worn those hated frilly dresses her mother forced her to have. Con had been determined however, and would not hear of Ted dressing any differently for this trip, despite Ted's own concerns.

Ted repeated her worries, as they stood waiting for the train. She'd also had her hair cut as short and styled as she wanted, and as she looked around the other passengers she realised that she was more obviously unconventional than ever before. Con reached up without a thought, and brushed a lock of Ted's hair from her forehead, then touched to her cheek briefly.

"I think you worry too much. If it's a problem, if anyone disapproves, we can ignore it. After all, we're adults now. It's none of their business." she said firmly.

Ted flicked a glance over to a group of people nearby, and sure enough, they were staring. Con's unconscious gesture, so innocent yet so familiar, had drawn further attention to them. Ted loved Con dearly, but she really was totally oblivious to the undercurrents and social cues that other people picked up.

Con wasn't rude, her upbringing made her more polite than most, if anything. She just didn't realise that being affectionate when both of them looked more feminine meant that people assumed a family relationship. Their closeness passed under most people's radar, they just didn't notice. But once one of them looked and dressed the more masculine way Ted was tending towards, the same actions became more obvious, became out of place. Especially in a small community like the Platz.

Ted wanted to shield Con, keep her innocent, but she had encountered so much disapproval of her kind already, she feared reaction, and even occasionally for their safety. As people in the group of other passengers began to whisper to each other, Ted could see this would be a long journey.

She wished now that she had tempered her clothes choice more, or let her hair grow longer, but Con had been determined to make up for them spending less time at Ted's home this summer. She missed many things, as she wandered along in her dream world, but Con knew when Ted was in a skirt or even feminine slacks, she just wasn't comfortable any more. To Con it was simple. Ted was Ted, and she loved her. If Ted felt better in the clothes she now wore, then that was what she should wear. Con had always been outspoken and she just didn't see the risk. Ted wanted to believe it would be alright. When she was around the university, where in fact many of the academics were unconventional, Ted had felt it a good idea, agreed with Con that they shouldn't hide. Now that they were out in the wider world however, and people were staring at her clothes and crew cut, then often whispering, even pointing, she felt less sure. She didn't much care herself, but she hated the idea that Con might be put at risk by it.

Con left the subect, chattering on about plans for the summer; ideas for stories; what the journey would be like. Ted answered when needed, smiled when Con looked at her, and listened. She didn't show it obviously, but her eyes were cautious, her mind always aware of the people around them, her senses alert in case of risk, especially as the afternoon turned to night. She would be glad when they reached Paris, where Con's sisters were to meet them.

There was safety in a group, even though Ge's own appearance also attracted attention. Somehow Ge managed it better though, she was taller than Ted, fitter and more clearly able to look after herself. Also, Len had confessed to Ted that the children seemed to make people less likely to react, even less likely to notice. Ted would be glad when they were with the others, especially Len.

Len understood the risks better than Con, despite being new to this lifestyle herself. She was so much more aware of people around her than her sister, and knew some of the issues Ge had encountered. Ted was glad to be able to talk to her friend about her worries on occasion. The problem was that even when 'appropriately' dressed, Ted was just different, walked and stood in a way that brought attention as she got older. When in public and dressed the way she felt inside, it was sometimes actually a little LESS risky. People hesitated as to whether she was male or female, and often left her alone. Ted struggled within herself to know what the best thing to do was: whether to try to hide, or not.

Len understood, she'd seen the way people acted towards her friend, caught the stares and giggles. She noticed the disapproval, and on occasion she saw the nasty notes Ted found on her door. Ted mainly ignored things, laughed it off, but sharp eyed Len knew that things weren't always as simple as Con believed. She also understood that Ted was finding her way, and although that way included dressing and acting unusually for the time and for their social group, it didn't mean that she was always secure and confident.

\-----

A few months earlier, Ted had visited her brother, then returned to her own room rather than back to their shared lodgings. Len had been suspicious when Ted didn't come to see them straight from her trip away, even more so when their friend stuck to her own room over the next few days. Ted had made excuses to Con about being late back, then tired, then busy with work. Con had been in the grip of one of her stories, and was just naturally trusting. She'd accepted Ted's message at face value, and wasn't awake enough to wonder what was going on. Also, Con and Ted rarely saw each other in tutorials and lectures, so she didn't realise that Ted was not attending, but Len and Ted normally did share some subjects, and she wondered what was happening as days passed and no Ted appeared. Being Len, she couldn't leave a friend possibly needing help, and determined to find out what was going on. She refused to leave, made Ted open her door, and had a shock as she heard the story. 

Ted had missed her train and arrived back later than normal. The walk back through the dark streets had been an error in judgement Ted wouldn't repeat in a hurry. She'd been in her skirt, for once, but apparently in the poor light she'd been mistaken for a man dressing up in women's clothes. At least that was her assumption, from the taunts and curses thrown along with the blows. She had blessed her wiry strength and sports training that night, for she had finally escaped and outrun the drunken group.

Once in safety, the normally composed Ted had fallen to pieces. Len could tell that that was part of her shame, that she hadn't been able to cope, hadn't been able to even process the situation. It had brought back so many memories of the conversion centre, uncovered her grief about Mike and her lonely trek from school to school. The recent years of happiness had pushed those memories far away, as she had blossomed with firstly Len and Ros's friendship, then with Con's friendship and love.

Ted's whole being was directed now to protecting Con, to avoiding her having to feel ashamed of being with Ted, although they both knew some disapproval was inevitable. She didn't want to ever seem ashamed herself anymore, but the vehemence of the attackers taunts had reminded her just how many people saw 'devients' such as herself. She hid, determined to push Con away until she could cope again, to be strong.

Ted was closer to hysterics than Len had ever seen her at the suggestion that she tell Con what had happened, she made her friend promise not to tell anyone. So it was Len who saw Ted's gradually recovering bruises, heard the story of her escape. That evening Ted told her friend for the first time about her true reason for expulsion, and her difficult childhood. Len had suspected there was more to the story than met the eye, and her kind heart went out to her friend. Ted had sworn Len to secrecy, and the next day she returned to their shared rooms, with excuses to Con about tripping and being clumsy.

She knew that she ought to have told Con, and intended to do so one day, knew also that she ought to explain, maybe discourage Con from being so obvious in public. But every time she tried to tell her, she just couldn't find it in her to upset Con or make her self conscious. Let Con think that the world was changing, that people soon wouldn't turn a hair at two women together, or people cross dressing in one way or another. Let Con keep her dream of acceptance, keep her ideal world. Ted wanted to believe it was possible, but until it was really there, she would look out for them, protect Con at all costs.


	25. At the Platz

Ge looked around at the others, scattered about the carriage, fast asleep. John and Josie were curled up near her, leaning on her as they slept. Both had tried their best to stay awake for the whole of this exciting journey, but had finally given in about an hour ago, so now rested either side of her, Josie unconsciously holding onto Ge's jumper as she dozed.

Opposite her, Len had nodded off some time ago, used to rationing her energy on long journeys, asleep, yet able to wake as soon as needed. Ted and Con were curled up together next to Len, both again able to sleep despite the motion of the train, and knowing the timings of this trip well enough to be safe in their slumber. In the opposing corner slept Margot, with Reg seated opposite her, despite there being room for both sitting together. Ge actually saw one benefit of not being with a man. Even as an engaged couple, Reg and Margot wouldn't openly snuggle close the way Ted and Con were, they could well be noticed and disapproved of for such public display of affection. Even if people suspected the situation with Ted and Con when they were alone, they would be unlikely to assume while the girls were in the middle of a family group like this, they would be assumed to be sisters perhaps. It would be a very different story if they were alone. Ge let her eyes rest on the pair, and though she was glad for their closeness, she worried slightly, wondered if the realised the risk they were taking.

As her gaze moved back round, she saw that Len was watching her, and met her eyes with that rush of feeling that still hit them both on seeing each other. Len seemed to know Ge's concerns, as she said in a low tone "Don't worry, Ted knows. She's careful"

Ge smiled at her, then glanced at her watch, following that with a questioning glance back to Len, who nodded.

"Come on folks, rise and shine." she said in a louder tone, and the dozing group began to surface, blinking in the bright light from outside, and stretching aching limbs. John and Josie still slept, and Len motioned to Ge to leave them to it. She knew just how much time they had stayed awake, and thankfully they were both small of build. They could be carried to the next train if necessary.

In fact the pair woke just before the station, looking around blearily and in Josie's case burrowing her head back into Ge's side as if to sleep again. Her aunt was firm however, and gently moved her upright again, for she needed to be able to carry bags and move herself. She had stayed still for so long with the twins sleeping on her that she needed to move, painful though the resulting pins and needles were likely to be.

It wasn't long before they were in the little train up the mountain, and Ge was impressed with how the Triplets worked together, and clearly knew every detail of the route and how to ensure a smooth passage through the stations. On the little train up, the twins chose a seat together with a good view, and were soon transfixed by the sights around them and how smoothly they were moving up the mountainside. They squabbled amicably about how high they were and how fast they were going, as well as what would happen if the cable broke. Ge smiled and left them to it.

She herself had Len on one side, and Reg on the other. She still wasn't quite sure of Margot's boyfriend; a little part of her couldn't let go of the fact that he'd been engaged to Len. She was relieved during this trip to notice how focused he was on Margot. There was no mistaking the love in his eyes looking at the youngest Triplet. Ge was a little surprised that Margot had chosen to sit opposite Reg again, there was room for them to share a seat, and they had the carriage to themselves. However she knew from Len that their father wasn't that keen on the relationship, so perhaps Margot was just being cautious, starting as she would have to go on.

As they reached the station, the Triplets whirled into action again, and almost before they knew it, the little group was out on the platform.

"They never stay long at these little stations" Con explained as the train moved off. "It's always a bit of a rush!" 

They stood for a moment taking stock, then moved on, meeting three cars sitting beside the little station.

"Well! We are being greeted in style!" Len said, as they were hailed all at once by the drivers. The front car looked to be driven by Len's brother Steven, given the exclamations and teasing from his elder sisters. The next was an older man greeted as "Uncle Phil!" and given almost as warm a welcome. The bags were swiftly being arranged in the two larger cars, and people got into the cars, chattering away to each other. The twins had moved close to Ge, but were swiftly fielded into a car by Len, settling them next to her brother, who cheerily distracted them, and soon had them laughing.

Ge was initially a little daunted by all of the new faces, realising quite how long it had been since she had met many new people. She hesitated to begin with, but then the driver of the smallest car stepped out, and she grinned to recognise Kathy Ferrars. She hadn't seen her old schoolfriend much recently, but she was a sight for sore eyes amongst all these people who knew each other already.

"Come along with us," Kathy called, and waved Ge to the back of the little car. Inside Nancy Wilmot waved at Ge, seeing no point in getting out when they were all about to move off again. Ge looked around for Len, who nodded, smiled and waved before getting in the front car with Stephen and the twins. Ge settled into the car and the little convoy set off.

"Doesn't look like we were needed, in the end" Kathy said, as she followed the larger car along. "We weren't sure how much luggage you would all bring, the Maynard boys managed to need a couple of trips in the two big cars last week when they arrived!"

Ge smiled in reply, and asked how they both were. They chatted happily, glad to see each other again, although quite unusual circumstances. It wasn't until they were passing the school and nearly at Fruedesheim that Kathy broached a subject that had clearly been worrying her.

"Ge, does... Does Len know about you and I?" she said, bright red with embarrassment to be asking. Ge had to think for a moment what she meant, their term together at school had been so long ago, but she understood Kathy's concern immediately.

"I can't remember whether we've talked about it, but I wouldn't be able to hide it from her" was the typically forthright reply. "I wouldn't be telling anyone else though, of course. Unless they know?"

Kathy and Nancy shook their heads in unison. "No, it's only fairly recently that we've found out how many of the Chalet School family know about us. We don't know how much the rest of the Platz know, and we still don't really want it broadcast, if that makes sense. We can't be too obvious, though we'd want to be..." Kathy's reply was somewhat garbled, but Ge understood.

"Not a problem. I don't think somehow that I want to be highlighting a fling with their daughter's schoolteacher to Len's parents! They're going to look at the age difference badly enough as it is..." she said, letting out some of her worries about meeting Len's family.

Nancy and Kathy wanted to reassure her, but there wasn't really time as they reached the Maynard home and the other began piling out of the cars along with luggage. They left them to get organised, and drove off back to the Graves' house, calling promises to meet again later in the week. They also couldn't in all honesty be sure themselves that everything would be ok; No one quite knew what Jack's true feelings on the matter were, much as Joey was trying to push for them to be one big family. The visit could well go swimmingly, but it could easily be a bumpy ride for all concerned.

Ge watched the little car heading away and tried not to wish that she was going with them. She turned her attention back to the group, and smiled at Len, then they both fielded the excited twins towards the doorway of the huge house. Before they reached it however, the gap was filled by a tall dark woman with hair rolled up in 'earphones' either side of her head. Len pulled forward to greet the woman, and the twins moved to Ge's side and held either hand. Ge recognized Len's mother from photographs, but somehow she had much greater presence in person, she was clearly one of those people who enter a room and all eyes turn to her. Ge tried not to show her nerves, and urged the twins forward.

For better or worse, they were here, with Len's family. The visit had begun.

\---------

Chapter 9 - 04/07/12 by Beecharmer

Author's Notes:  
Thanks for commenting, was nice to have a few people who don't usually say hello. It is much more fun when more social, knowing there are people actually wanting to read, and enjoying what they are reading is lovely.

\-------

 

As they reached the door, they were enthusiastically greeted by Joey, and directed through to the hallway, and then on into a large room overlooking a wonderful view. Ge held tightly to the twins' hands, and they for once were very quiet, looking around them with their dark eyes, expressions unreadable.

Joey herself was unusually flustered for her, if they had only known. To the visitors she seemed bright and in control, but in reality she was unsure of herself for the first time in years. Despite herself, it was a slight shock to actually see these people, have the evidence that Len now had another little family, was really an adult, really was interested in women, and specifically this woman. Ted and Margot's partners were people she already knew, so there was less change to deal with somehow. Ge's tendency to scowl when nervous wasn't helping; she wasn't trying to look fierce, but she was succeeding.

Joey had also been knocked slightly off balance by how unusual both Ge and Ted looked. Somehow she'd mentally assumed Ge to look and dress similarly to Len and Con; Or maybe as she was older, to be like Nancy or Kathy. If she'd thought about a more obviously 'gay' appearance, she might have assumed perhaps looking like Tom Gay. Although perhaps that view was out of date? Joey didn't know; Tom had always been a boyish girl, but Joey admitted to herself that she had rarely seen her except when in school uniform.

She realised all of a sudden that her view of gay women had been coloured by Nancy and Kathy, or her suspicions about Nell Wilson, and finally by her own daughters. She wasn't quite sure what to think, faced with Ge and Ted's quite strikingly different appearance.

She knew the stereotype of a masculine woman, and had no real opinion formed, but somehow she hadn't mentally associated it with Len's new partner. Especially since Len herself was not particularly girly or masculine in dress or outlook. Joey had projected her daughter's appearance onto Ge, if she had thought about what the woman looked like at all. In fact she was right in her first opinion, thinking of the other women she knew, for Ted and Ge were more extreme than most in dress, tastes and appearance. Had she been aware of them, uncloseted, most gay women varied in style just as much as their straight counterparts. The two examples before her were not typical, not least because of the risks such openness could bring. Joey realised all at once that the her daughters' situation might well become obvious to the others on the Platz, or to more worryingly, to strangers. She instinctually wanted the girls to be safe, and a little part of her wished that it was possible to explain her worries, ask if they knew how obvious they were, without risking hurt and upset.

Her mental image of Ted too was out of date, she realised. Her thoughts of Ted had been of the near schoolgirl that she had last seen a year ago, and took some adjusting to on first sight; Ted had grown, her hair was short and she was dressed quite differently to normal. However the girl was dear to Joey's heart, being one of her almost-adoptees anyway, so the shock had been only momentary. She'd enfolded Ted in a hug just as welcoming as her one to the Triplets, before turning towards Len and Ge.

Joey really did feel most unusually nervous. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but was just totally unsure how to react. Should she behave towards Ge as a woman or a man? Did it make much difference to her own behaviour either way? Joey didn't think so in theory, but it was still difficult to judge how to avoid upsetting anyone at this early stage. She realised that she was nervous as to how to behave, for the first time in many years.

She hadn't quite known how to greet Ge, whether a family hug was yet appropriate, or a smile and handshake, and the woman's slight scowling appearance hadn't been encouraging. Joey couldn't quite bring herself to risk a rejection of a hug, so didn't try. She tried to show her welcome in voice and action instead, and was gratified to have a nervous smile and polite return of greetings. She was also glad to see that the twins answered politely when welcomed, and the boy John managed a shy comment or two about how nice Switzerland seemed so far.

Josie was unconsciously mimicking her aunt's slight scowl, and so far said nothing. Interestingly enough, Joey noticed Ge glance at the scowl and whisper to the girl to stop; Josie then managed a politer smile, and looked a lot less fierce. The whole exchange made observant Joey wonder whether Ge herself knew she was scowling. That suspicion was strengthened a few moments later when Len turned to Ge, frowned herself and had clearly noticed the scowl. It would only make Ge self conscious to mention it, so instead Len caught the older woman's attention and grinned at her, which automatically brought on a smile, transforming Ge's appearance and lightening the mood. Joey was relived, and impressed with her daughter's handling of the situation. It was also obvious how much Ge loved Len, the honest face couldn't hide that if she tried. Joey was glad to see that, and also intrigued how comfortable Len was around Ge already, to know the best thing to do to remove the scowl.

Greeting Reg was easier, since he was just a smile, nod and shake of the hand anyway, always had been. She'd known him since he was twelve, and despite his actions, she was glad to see him again, always glad to regain a friend, despite her secret doubts about how suited he and Margot really were.

\------

Len took charge of the twins, drawing them and Ge off to the window to show them the view, and tell them any bloodcurdling stories she knew about the area. Joey was pleased to see how they seemed to react well and pay attention to Len. It had been a worry to her at first that Len might miss having children, then that being a step parent at her age would be hard. However Len's attitude with the twins was already unconsciously parental, and Joey worried just a little less at the sight of the little group together.

If she was honest, Joey was also slightly overwhelmed by the fact that Ge's children were about the same age as Felix and Felicity. Despite knowing in theory about the age difference, her mental image of Ge had been of her being in early 20s, with the children aged accordingly young. Joey realised with a shock that this woman really wasn't that far from her own age, and the twins were clearly older than she thought, must have been born when Ge was quite young. She did remember Len telling them the twins' age, but it had slipped her mind, and Joey had assumed the children to be younger, and that they would need to share Ge's room with her.

She put the age difference aside quite quickly, after all she and Jack were several years apart, and it had rarely been an issue for them. She didn't really believe Jack's slight worries that Ge had changed Len, or led her astray, but it was a lot of information to take in at once. Being Joey, she didn't let herself be knocked off balanced for long, and was soon back nearly to her normal self.

She mentally chided herself however for not properly registering the age of the twins, they were far too old to stay in Ge's room, there wasn't the space. It wasn't an issue, Josie could share with Felicity, John with Felix. 'That might help them all get to know each other too' she thought, and decided that was the way she would go. Once everyone was settled in the Salon, Joey went upstairs and asked a surprised Felix and Felicity about sharing their rooms, then told them to go and help Anna with refreshments for everyone. 

\--------

Josie had been overwhelmed to begin with by this new place, but soon began to regain her confidence, and look around at things. She saw signs of a dog having been present, and asked Len eagerly when they could meet Bruno. This had been one of the main attractions for Josie about this holiday. She loved dogs, and the idea of meeting a real St Bernard was a real thrill. Len looked around the crowded room and imagined the chaos Bruno could cause, so promised a walk with him later on instead of him coming in now. Josie was beginning to know when Len really meant something, so didn't push any further, but she began to inch closer to the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of the big dog if she could.

Instead of Bruno, she caught sight of the Maynard twins, wheeling a trolley laden with cakes and tea. Josie's eyes widened. These twins were as fair as she and John were dark, and she wondered what they would be like, even as she scuttled back to John for moral support. 

Felix and Felicity on their part were intrigued by these dark twins. There weren't that many children their age on the Platz, especially boys, and Felix looked at John with interest, hoping for a partner in crime. He thought the girl looked ok too, didn't look too much of a fussy sort. Felicity privately thought the girl looked rather fierce, but John with his shy smile seemed like he'd be friendly.

\-----

Once they had finished the refreshments, Margot asked her mother where they would all be sleeping. She change out of her travelling clothes, and to get a little time alone to talk Reg, if possible, for he was very quiet and subdued.

Joey had worried over how to do this for days, coming to no great conclusion. The major concern was keeping Margot and Reg separate. For all that Joey wanted to be equal, it WAS different. Len and Ge couldn't get married, and more critically, they couldn't accidentally get pregnant. Nor could Ted and Con.

Jack was only really allowing Reg back in his home on sufferance, he would be sure to throw him out if there were any suggestion of him sleeping with his daughter at all, let alone under his roof. Joey had decided it wouldn't be fair for the others to share when Margot and Reg couldn't. It would be different perhaps on future visits, as long as they were discrete. She was also unsure whether either of the couples yet shared a bed anyway, although she thought it likely. There was sure to be some sneaking around, but she knew that she ought to at least make a show of keeping them separate. So she'd put Len, Con and Margot together in their old bedroom, Ge in a room of her own, and Ted also in a room on her own, to her surprise. Thankfully the Richardsons were all staying in England visiting friends at the moment, as was Mike, otherwise the sleeping arrangements would have been tight even with the many bedrooms Fruedesheim possessed.

Reg had been put up on the same floor as Stephen and Charles. Joey had 'swithered' between placing him in a room next to herself and Jack. The theory being to deter any bed hopping. But with memories of being near Margot's age and engaged to Jack, Joey thought it safer to have Reg's room further away, to avoid Jack finding out if the young couple were reckless. Stephen and Charles being near could well have just as much of a deterrent effect, with less risk.

She explained the arrangements, and noted a flicker of annoyance cross Ge's face, and Ted and Con look surprised initially. They had shared a room for years, but as they thought it through, they guessed Joey's logic, knowing how fiery Margot could be at any perceived injustice. Len put a hand on Ge's arm, followed by a look promising to explain later. Margot didn't look surprised, in fact she was just grateful that Reg was allowed to stay there at all, if Joey had only known, and had expected nothing less than separate beds. Sharing with her triplets was a slight surprise, but not an unpleasant one. She was actually glad for the obvious excuse not to go to Reg's room or vice versa, he really underestimated Jack's temper, for it was rarely seem outside the Maynard family, and was unusual even then. While Margot's devil was slightly attracted to the forbidden nature of sneaking around, she was also deeply afraid of the consequences of getting caught.  
\------  
End Notes:  
I know it might seem daft to have such convoluted worries about who slept where, but I don't envy any parent when a partner is first brought home, even nowadays. It can easily be a minefield of assumptions or mixed views about appropriate behaviour. It is also sometimes the first time that a parent has to see their child as an adult, as well, whichever orientation they are, that is often hard to adjust to.

\-----

Chapter 10 11/07/12 by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
Thanks for reviews, and that it makes reasonable sense! 

\------

 

Len lay back on her bed and closed her eyes for a moment. She'd been so happy to see Mamma and home again, but now felt strangely on edge. It was just much more complicated than she'd ever thought it would be, mixing her two families, her two lives. She realised already that she was a slightly different person when with Ge than the Len she naturally reverted to at home. It wasn't a dramatic difference, but it was there. She was also slightly conscious of wanting both of her families to present themselves to each other in the best way possible.

She'd been slightly disappointed not to be sharing a room with Ge, and unsure whether this room allocation was a positive or negative sign. Having assumed that they would share, she hadn't discussed separate rooms at all with Ge, and she could tell that her partner wasn't impressed, was ready to question her mother's support for their relationship. Len wanted to defend her parents, but was confused herself. When friends had visited any of the Maynard family, they'd always stayed in a room together, Joey knowing that often they would want to talk well into the night. So if Len had thought about it at all she'd assumed that they would share. Maybe not a bed, but at least to be in the same room would be nice.

She dimly understood that this could be taken as a compliment, that the relationship was being treated the same as Margot and Reg, who wouldn't expect to share, but she worried about whether Ge would understand. Ge was strong physically, but socially she wasn't always confident nowadays. Years of adventures had made her very wary, and Len wanted to be there to defuse any worry or just to be able to spend a few minutes alone without it being any issue. At least Ge had been put in a room alone, she mused, not with Ted or the twins. Perhaps it was still going to be possible to share, just not be too obvious about it.

She opened her eyes and sat up, watching her sisters putting their things away in drawers. Len hoped that she could trust them to understand if she wanted to unofficially stay in the other room with Ge, but would they be discrete about it? Con was so outspoken sometimes, would she forget and let Jack or Joey know ? Or would her sisters be hurt that she wasn't choosing to spend the time with them? Not likely with Con, but Margot could be so touchy with feeling rejected, even now. Len didn't want her sister and Ge to be in conflict with each other, or Margot's tendency to jealousy to upset the visit.

While Len was trying to work out the best way to broach the subject, Con was unpacking her clothes into a drawer, quite happily thinking of going for a walk before the evening meal. The room allocation wasn't any great issue to her, for she and Ted spent all term together, anyway. If Ted wanted her to stay over she would, if her sisters wanted to spend the time catching up, then she knew Ted would understand. Chances were that Ted would be happy enough to come and chat all night in the Triplet's room too. So Con was lucky enough to be without her sister's worries.

Margot, however, was as deep in thought as Len. The room they were in had been her own bedroom a few years earlier, and she was taken back to sitting daydreaming about being with Reg, then being filled with guilt at thinking such things about her sister's fiancee, even though she'd instinctually felt that Len and Reg weren't meant for each other, a fact confirmed by the way things had turned out.

Margot could see that Len's path was the right one for her. The difference in her sister around Ge was dramatic. Len had a light in her eyes, had returned to her natural sense of humour, and was seeming happier than Margot had seen her for years. On Reg's side, Margot knew that Reg cared, but clearly just saw Len as a relative. Whereas he wholeheartedly adored Margot; It was obvious in his every action around her, to the extent that Margot sometimes felt stifled, overwhelmed.

She felt honoured by his love, and cared a lot for him too, but ... She worried sometimes. She missed him when he wasn't there, but it was a less dramatic kind of love than his. She wasn't quite sure whether this was normal or not. Perhaps to other people she seemed just as 'head over heels' as her sisters did? She certainly didn't care for anyone else the way she did for Reg. Yet Margot couldn't help but wonder at the way Len and Ge spoke volumes to each other with their eyes, or how Con and Ted had fallen asleep on the train so casually entwined, fitting together so well it seemed effortless. It wasn't that it was hard work, being with Reg, she loved him, she knew she did. It was just... sometimes it was tiring, being on a pedestal all the time, being so obviously adored, yet not feeling quite ... She searched for the words: Understood; Respected; Listened to...

She mentally shook herself, and told herself not to be so silly. She was looking for problems that weren't there. If she wasn't careful she would find them.

\--------

Felix and Felicity led the visitors to their rooms. "You're with me, John" said Felix cheerfully, "And Josie with Felicity"

Josie frowned; She didn't like this plan, especially as a short time with Felicity had led the young tomboy to dismiss her as a 'girly girl' who wouldn't be up to much of interest. In fact Felicity was fully capable of keeping up with Felix and the others in anything, was just as active and tomboyish as many girls her age, despite her interest in dancing. She'd simply been quite quiet so far, put off by Josie's scowling. Anyway, it wasn't really Felicity that was the issue. Josie didn't want to share with any of these strangers. She'd assumed they would be nearer to Aunt Ge, or Len, or at least she would be in a room together with John.

Unfortunately she wasn't really much used to compromise or making the best of things. Although Ge was strict, she also didn't pull the reins too tightly, knowing only too well how too much restriction had always sent both herself and Josie's mother Jo in the opposite direction to that ever intended by the adults. John was an easy going soul, so rarely bothered to stand up to Josie unless very out of sorts. He wasn't cowardly, just didn't see the point of conflict for the sake of it. So the girl was used to having some say in most things, even if it decisions were not always in her favour. She questioned anything and everything, which was already causing her some problems with school and authority figures.

"That doesn't make sense" Josie said bluntly. "Why don't you go with your sister, and John an' I'll stay together?"

Felix and Felicity stared at her. Felicity recovered first. "Mamma has made the arrangements, and it really would be more usual for..."

Josie was tired, irritable and briefly forgetting her manners. It was all a bit much, suddenly being separated from both her Aunt and her twin. She wasn't giving in without a fight, and interrupted Felicity, much to her surprise. "Doesn't mean we have to do that. She's a grown up, their brains aren't always switched on."

Felix and Felicity bristled at the implied criticism of their mother, before deciding that Josie was just being rude about adults in general. In their own view grown ups did some odd things, so for now they just exchanged glances, but didn't put Josie in her place. John gave his twin a little kick, and she looked at him in bewilderment. He rolled his eyes at her, trying to get her to leave it, but she was tired, irritable and determined. "Well, if you won't change without, why don't we ask her? I can't think why she'd mind. Tisn't like we'd be hurting anyone."

The Maynard twins looked doubtful. Their parents were easygoing enough, but at 11 they weren't that far from the stage when Jack and Joey had expected instant and unquestioning obedience from them. Also they dimly felt that the rooms were planned so that they could all get to know each other, so Mamma wouldn't change her mind. Josie took their doubtful silence as fear of Joey, so suggested her own preference in a scornful tone. "Or we could ask Aunt Ge? She'd see sense, I'm sure; Even if your mother doesn't ... "

Now this was clearly a bit of "my parent is better than yours" and the twins bristled. Felicity looked fierce, and was about to retort that she didn't want to share rooms with her anyway. Felix was about to tell Josie that if she wasn't a girl, he'd teach her a lesson, when John the peacemaker stuck in quickly here. "I don't mind either way, but if we have to ask someone, what about Len? She'll be neutral, I'm sure, lets ask her."

This satisfied the twins, and Josie grudgingly agreed. She knew that Aunt Ge would probably check with Len anyway, and would back up whatever Len suggested. She didn't like it, but it was a solution at least. The Maynards were happy with this choice. Their eldest sister would be fair, and would know whether Mamma would be annoyed or not, so she was a good person to ask. They were a little hazy about who these twins were, but they were friends of Len's so they wanted to get along with them if they could.

The little foursome trooped off to find the adults. John and Josie automatically went to the their Aunt Ge's room, assuming Len would be there, much to the Maynard twins surprise.

"Len's in the Trips' room" Felicity said, as they walked on by Ge's door. "Come on."

John was going to argue, he was sure that Len would be with Ge. Josie was a little more aware, remembering Ge warning them not to say anything to people in the village about Len sleeping in her room. Maybe this was the same? So she followed Felix and Felicity, pulling her twin along with her.

Both he and Josie looked around curiously as they entered, wondering why it was called a "trip room"; It didn't seem to have steps or uneven floor, or be related to holidays? They shelved the joint thought to ask later, for sure enough Len was there, along with her sisters. The three women smiled at the young ones and Con asked them how they could help. The little group explained, talking slightly over each other as they asked Len's advice.

Instinctually she wanted to tell them to ask Ge, or sort it out between themselves. But as she looked at this unusual deputation she realised that she couldn't do that. She'd been chosen as mediator, and as such she had to make the decision, and not only that, she had to be very careful to be absolutely fair. She didn't really think that Mamma would mind either way, but felt herself that the twins being mixed together would be best. Josie might well not see it that way now, but she would hopefully understand when she was older.

"Well... How about you start tonight as has been arranged." she said slowly, and saw Josie's face fall. "But then tomorrow you may work out between yourselves, and swop if you still want to. I'll talk to Mamma then if you decide to do that."

Everyone but Josie nodded, and she looked upset, but finally nodded too, one night would do no harm, after all. Len eyed her expressive little face and had a good idea of what was passing through her mind. She added a little further condition. "Of course, if you do change, you do the work moving the bedding yourselves and remaking beds yourselves though. no asking Anna to do it." It still gave the possibility to change, but she hoped that they'd think it too much hassle to change once set up.

Margot wasn't hugely patient with the younger ones even now, and she wanted to get ready and back downstairs, or to find Reg.

"That all?" she said briskly. "Scram then, don't dawdle."

Felix rolled his eyes at Felicity at Margot being as abrupt as ever. The two sets of twins took the hint however and headed back to get unpacked and tidied up.

\------------

Ted sat on the bed in the guest room, struggling with her emotions. That look of shock from Mrs Maynard had been hard to see, and then to still be pulled into a family style hug directly afterwards seemed almost too much for Ted to believe. The time after was a blur, until she was shown to this room.

A room on her own, for the first time ever at Freudesheim. She didn't quite know what to think. It was both so much more acceptance than she'd expected, and slightly disappointing to be kept apart from Con in this way. She wasn't sure what Con was thinking, although she was hopeful that she would come to find her soon, since she didn't feel quite ready to go back downstairs on her own.

Ted was feeling unusually shy, and slightly lost as to her new place in this family. Con's brother Stephen had been unable to mask his astonishment when he first caught sight of Ted at the station, although kind boy that he was, he quickly pasted a smile of welcome over the shock. The younger children had been more reserved than normal as well, as if they didn't quite know her. Ted realised suddenly that she'd focused so much on Con's parents finally knowing that she didn't know who else had been told. Did people like Miss Annersley know ? Or Miss Wilson? Had the younger children had any explanation? Ted was unsure of how to act, what to say. She felt it was safest to continue to not be affectionate in public, but would Con see that as cowardly ? Ted wanted to change people's perceptions, she didn't want to hide. But the other Maynards had to live here all year around. It wasn't fair to bring gossip and disapproval on them, or at least no more than could be helped.

Mrs Maynard had been one of the first to give Ted a real chance, an opportunity to put Theodora behind her. Ted didn't want to do anything that might disappoint her, might cause her problems. She felt completely mixed up. She wished that she had brought at least a few of her less unusual outfits with her, for she felt that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Ge was different, she was a stranger, and older. Her more casual style was also less distinctly masculine, plenty of girls were now starting to wear jeans and shorts more. Ted brushed her hand over her own waistcoat and suit, and felt that moment of peace that calmed her, even despite her worries.

Being dressed like this, here near the School brought back that memory of seeing the women, Miss Wilmot's friend, or was it Miss Ferrars? Ted couldn't recall. But she'd always remember that feeling, that sudden understanding that she wasn't alone in how she wanted to be, to dress. The sight of that extraordinarily dressed woman had made Ted really feel that there was a future for her, than she would maybe one day not have to hide. Now that day was apparently here, and Ted was both thrilled and petrified by the whole situation.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Con came in, with that gentle look about her that always wiped everything out of Ted's mind. She smiled back, and extended an arm for Con to sit beside her, cuddled close. They sat in silence for a while, before Con pressed Ted to tell her what was wrong.

"Who says anything's wrong?" Ted tried to deflect lightly but,as Con replied, they knew each other too well. Ted faltered slightly as she spoke, but finally managed to get her thoughts in order, to explain. Con listened, the sat with her in silence for a while, clearly thinking through how to respond.

"Ted, if it bothers you too much, I'm sure we can find clothes for you to wear" she began, then paused again, trying to find the right balance between supporting Ted, whichever choice she made, and the answer she herself believed to be right. "But, what does it solve? If someone from here meets us in England, they could just as easily spread rumours when back at the Platz. I agree we shouldn't be any more obvious in action than we can help. But your style is your style. You might have decided big pink fluffy dresses were your thing..."

Ted laughed, and Con grinned at her as she continued. "There are people who used to tease us about Mamma's earphones, or our own clothes being outdated... "

Ted opened her mouth to say that this was different. Those clothing choices didn't scream out a possibly deviant lifestyle. However Con wasn't finished.

"Your clothes and being who you are isn't just about you, or us, Ted. You saw that woman on the platform, and you know how much of a difference it made to you, to know that not everyone conformed; that you weren't the only one who was different. Now think of it another way. You being yourself, not hiding too much, that could well help someone else like us see a future, see that maybe THEY are not alone. Mamma and Papa might find it difficult to begin with, but they always taught us that we should do what we think is right : Not just what is safe or comfortable. They'll understand, I know they will, even if it takes a while."

Con petered out, and looked at her, trying to see whether her words had helped. She marveled how Con could seem so oblivious to so many things, yet on occasion get right to the core of an issue. She couldn't answer, so simply wrapped Con in her arms and held her tight.

All too soon, they heard the sounds of the others heading down the stairs, and followed. But Ted stayed in her choice of clothes, and from then on, whenever she had doubts, she remembered that day at the station and kept to her own course, no matter what other people thought. If it made a difference to just one person it was worth it.

 

End Notes : Ted reference is At the Station by jayj.(On Sally Denny Library)


	26. First full day

Joey woke the following morning before it was light, and lay thinking in the dark. It had been a complicated day yesterday, meeting new people, seeing her daughters as adults, and trying to keep everyone talking and amicable.

She sighed to herself, and quietly got out of bed and went to dress. She wouldn't sleep anymore that morning, she could tell, and Jack needed undisturbed rest as much as possible. He had been dealing with some very difficult cases at the San, and had been called up there many nights in a row, which was wearing for him.

She settled herself down at her desk, with good intentions to write, but she couldn't pull her mind away from all of the house guests. Her sharp ears had detected footsteps between rooms the previous night, and she just hoped that Jack hadn't heard. She hadn't heard the creak of the stairs, so thought that there was a good chance that Reg and Margot had stayed apart. She wasn't sure why that mattered more to her than the other two, but it did. She felt instinctually that Con and Len knew what they were doing, much as a little part of her wished they followed a more conventional path. Margot however ... Joey was less sure. Margot was so often led by her emotions, even now. She seemed happy enough around Reg, and he clearly adored her. Yet Margot didn't seem quite herself, and there was a slight frown on her forehead far more often than normal. Joey was worried that all was not well with her youngest Triplet. With Joey, to think was to act. Almost without thinking about it, she made her way up to the Triplets' room, thinking to see whether any of them were up (or were there at all, she admitted to herself later.)

\------------

Len stretched and apologised as she kicked Ge awake without meaning to.

"Oh! Sorry! Woke up thinking I was in Oxford, alone! Didn't mean to wake you up!"

Ge grinned at her and then just pulled the covers back around herself and settled down to doze some more. Neither of them had had much sleep, ending up talking about everything and anything for much of the night. An unexpected bonus of the twin's rooms being far away from Ge was that they were able to have a little more privacy from them than normally possible at the farmhouse. Josie particularly seemed to have exceptional hearing where her name was concerned. To talk about the twins or subjects not for their ears was hard at Kirren, often only possible by going for a walk, or getting the twins to stay at Ge's mother's house. However that was less possible as time went on.

Quentin Kirren was gradually declining, and could not be relied upon as to behaviour. Fanny had enough of a job trying to keep him safe and level, it wasn't fair to add the twins to that too often. Ge was for once was thankful that the twins had barely known her father, for it was clear that he was rapidly going downhill. She had mixed emotions, for she loved her father fiercely, but had spent so much of her life at odds with him that she couldn't help but still get frustrated at his irrational demands and the way he treated her mother. In his confusion he also tended to think of Ge as troublesome teenage George, and she had to bite her tongue when he ordered her about or tried to threaten to take Timmy away. It'd been difficult to tolerate at 13, now in her 30s it was even harder. Yet she knew that being calm helped her mother, so ignored his rages and did all she could to help.

All this and more Len was just learning about Ge's life, and it was a real luxury, being able to lie in bed and talk about all these things without fear of the twins hearing. It had helped, being able to talk properly about the current situation too. Ge had been happier about things once she understood the family politics, said that she saw Joey's possible dilemma. She dreaded the day that John or Josie brought girl or boyfriends home, they were her babies, and it was hard not to want them to stay that way. Even at 10 she had to stop herself from trying to protect them too much, and let them fight their own battles a bit. She saw the need for discretion around the younger ones too, knowing how observant little eyes could be, and how likely children were to repeat things at the worst moment. So she understood the room allocation better than Len had hoped, and they were relaxed with each other quite quickly, despite Len's worries.

They dozed off again, cuddled together and content, Len completely forgetting that she wasn't really supposed to be there, and ought to make her way back before the others woke.

\-------

Joey tapped the door and waited for a sleepy "Come in" before entering. She had to smile as she looked at Margot's tousled head emerging from the pillows, hair at all angles. A quick glance showed her that there were three bodies in three beds, but she had to stop herself from laughing, as the third was Ted, woken and obviously horrified at being caught somewhere that she wasn't supposed to be.

Con and Margot were slower to react, but equally comical as they ran through in their mind how to explain Len's absence. Joey finally couldn't hold back a splutter of laughter.

"Girls, I can't condone room swopping, but I'm not getting involved." she said, taking pity and settling herself down on the end of Margot's bed. "You three do look a collection of sights! I'll talk to Len later, it's important that she be a bit more discrete, I could hear someone moving around last night, and if I could hear that so could your father."

She felt slightly ashamed to be making Jack out to be so strict, but truthfully she didn't know how he would react, so it was safer to try to send a message to the girls to take care. Mainly to Margot, but it might do no harm for Ted and Con to take more care. Joey was stuck, as she just couldn't condone deception, but understood the girls lived their own lives away from home. Her biggest worry was Reg being kicked out of the house by Jack, for she was sure that firey Margot would follow. She also worried slightly that Jack might take a dim view of Ted and Con sharing, or Len and Ge. It was after all behaviour that few parents of their time could allow, or that many would acknowledge. If it wasn't for knowing Nancy and Kathy, Joey's own views would've been more rigid.

"It might be kind to everyone concerned to go and wake Len soon" she simply said, and left it at that, feeling slightly ashamed again to be hiding things from Jack, but not sure what else to do.

Ted, Con and Margot nodded as one, adding to the comic effect of the three of them still bleary eyed with sleep. They'd also been talking till late, for Con had initially gone to Ted's room, not sure whether Margot would go or not. However the room Ted was in was quite near the nursery, and the bed was not that comfortable for two. So they'd returned a few hours later to the other room, knowing at least Len's bed would be free. In fact they'd been part of the footsteps back and forth that Joey mentioned, as their blushes showed.

They'd been slightly surprised to find Margot still there, reading, but understood. Apart from Reg's room being next to Stephen, her situation was more complicated in a way. Because she could get married, she really was supposed to wait, or at least follow rules of behaviour more strictly, and they respected that. They didn't really know whether Reg and Margot were together in that way anyway, Margot's faith was strong, and she might not consider being with Reg before marriage a possibility anyway.

After a bit of embarrassment, the three of them had made the most of rare time together to chatter well into the night about old friends, future plans and general family gossip. Con and Ted had been nicely surprised by Margot's friendliness. University had knocked some of her shaper edges into shape, and she was much less impatient than she used to be. On her part she had been pleased to spend time with them, for they had been so intensely focused on each other in recent years that Margot had not really spent much time with either of them.

Now they were a bit at a loss for words, to have their mother there clearly not as oblivious as they'd expected, and with Len absent without leave. As Margot said to Con later, it was a strange situation to be in. It had been so very rare that she'd been the one who'd obeyed rules, let alone Len to be caught misbehaving. Joey mercifully left them quite soon, to get themselves in order. She reminded them as she left to warn Len that it was morning, before the rest of the house began to stir, and Ted did so, before heading back to her own room.

Roused by Ted and hurriedly filled in on the morning visit, Len was another who wasn't quite sure what to think or do. Her mother had effectively caught her 'misbehaving' for perhaps the first time since she was aged three or four. She didn't know whether to go and talk to her about it, or whether the warning about discretion meant to just be more careful and not bring things to people's attention. Perhaps going to discuss things would cause more problems than keeping quiet? Embarrased as she was, she decided on silence for now, unless anything suggested otherwise.

\---------

That morning's breakfast was the usual busy loud Maynard affair, with food passed back and forth, and gentle teasing all round. Jack properly met the visitors, and listened to Josie. She'd taken a violent liking to him for some reason, sitting beside him and telling him about her uncle Jack, who had a parrot who made express train noises. "Only he's not really my uncle, but he said it was ok to call him that, cos he's like an uncle, an he thinks his sister's children wouldn't mind sharing him a bit"

Jack nodded along seriously with her, and agreed that Uncle Jack sounded a very nice fellow. Ge stared in amazement, for Josie wasn't one to take a liking to people that soon. It made her soften a bit towards Len's father that he made the effort with Josie, and was pleased when both sets of twins asked if they could be excused, so that the Maynard twins could show the Kirren pair around the Platz.

The time together had softened the barriers between Josie, Felix and Felicity. They were still all wary of each other, but John the peacemaker was helping to smooth Josie's edges, and they'd made plans together to play a game of "Secret Agent Twins", both sets agreeing that a game like that must be twice as good with two sets of twins.

With the younger ones taken care of, the others decided to make the most of the sunshine and go for a walk. Jack had to return to the San, and it was amusing for Joey to see him have the same confusion as she had, not sure whether to shake hands, nod or kiss Ge's cheek as he did with his daughters. Ge took mercy on him and stuck a hand out to shake, with a friendly grin to show it wasn't a problem. She wasn't much of a one for kissing, even relatives, so was quite happy not being treated the same as the other girls. Jack hesitated with Ted, but he'd treated her as like one of his own brood for so long that he stayed with his usual course of a peck on the cheek and resolved to ask Joey later what she thought was the best option for the future.

Eventually, with much noise and chatter, the little party set off for their ramble, Bruno bouncing enthusiastically on his chain. When the twins had seen a ramble was on the cards, they had returned from their hiding place in the trees, and beggedfor a trip to the Auberge.

"After all, we can still be secret agents while we are with the others" Felix said, and the others agreed. John and Josie could tell that there was something special about the walk chosen, but as the Maynards wouldn't tell the secret they had to concentrate on walking, and wait to see what the big excitement was, for this walk was quite a long one for short legs, and steep.

\-----

Back to index  
Chapter 12 04/10/12 Nell meets everyone by Beecharmer

Author's Notes:  
Caroline belongs to Jayj as before, and remember this is several years before the School starts :-) Thank you for reading and yes I know this is a very overused EBD plot, but that's why I'm using it!

\-----

Nell Wilson was daydreaming as she walked along the path down towards the Auberge. She'd set off early that morning, unable to sleep due to aching joints. She was determined that her body was not going to beat her, and so set herself a gruelling pace up from the Platz to the Auberge and beyond. A short way beyond the Auberge however she had to admit defeat, she was very tired after her poor night and to continue would be foolhardy. She was still strong and fit, but she wasn't as young as she had been, and the wet weather that spring and summer had left her feeling much older than her years. The doctors at the San seemed divided as to whether rest or activity would help more, and inactivity was against everything in Nell's nature, so she was pushing herself to keep walking, hoping that the exercise and strengthening muscles would have some sort of positive effect on the aching joints. It certainly seemed to solve the problem while moving, but the aching was no less at night, and she was getting really frustrated with the stiffness of her movements, and occasional need to use a walking stick or cane.

Today however she had managed to get moving in a better way than normal, and had managed a good time up to beyond the Auberge, so she decided that it was at least an improvement. Nell allowed herself a gentler walk back, thoughts drifting aimlessly. As she turned the last curve and the Auberge came into sight, she blinked and had to look again. She quickened her step unconsciously, and broke into an automatic grin. Was that Caroline? It looked like it, there were very few people who dressed in that very distinctive style, especially around here. She hadn't been expecting her friend to visit, but it would be very like her to just turn up out of the blue.

There was nothing permanent in her on/off affair with Caroline. She knew well enough that no one would make Nancy Wilmot's old friend settle. Caroline had always been bluntly open about there being no strings attached, but if Nell was honest with herself that suited both of them. Her own confused feelings for Hilda and the care needed in the enclosed environment of the Platz meant that an ongoing relationship wasn't practical anyway. Yet Caroline was a force of energy, fascinating, intelligent and vital, and Nell always felt years younger after a visit from the charismatic eccentric woman. 

As she reached the little party with the distinctively dressed woman however, she turned around, and Nell felt her mouth gape open. Now she was nearer it was clearly not Caroline, although she was almost identical in style. Nell was covered in confusion, unable to get rid of the feeling that Caroline was here. Even more strange was to get nearer and be able to recognise the woman as one of her own former pupils. She hadn't taught Ted much, since the girl had not done Scientific subjects or attended St Mildreds, however the school was small enough for her to know the girl reasonably well. The difference in these clothes was startling however, and Nell was most confused, having no feelings of attraction to Ted, yet still having the remaining emotions from thinking it was Caroline back to visit. In her confusion it took her a while to recognize the other Maynards, and the younger ones had surrounded her before she had time to think. 

"Aunt Nell!" Felicity bounced up to her and slipped her hand into the larger one of her honorary aunt. "We have new twins here! This is John, and this is Josie, and we are all secret agents and..."

At a fierce look from Josie, Felix stepped in, thinking that he really must remind his sister of the definition of 'Secret' agents. 

"We're showing everyone the Auberge, Aunt Nell. They don't know about the... The secret, will you stay with us while we show them. You do almost as good a yodel as Mamma" he interrupted, sending Felicity a stern look, and making her remember that the secret agent game was meant to be between them, not for adults. She went pink, and glanced nervously towards John and Josie. However they were too busy now watching Ge and Len to see how to react to this stranger, so she got away with her slip of the tongue for now. 

Nell had recovered herself, and was in the midst of being introduced to Ge and the twins, and greeting the others. Joey had no idea how to introduce Len's new partner, so had decided to let Len decide, saying simply "Hello Nell! As you see, Len has friends here. I'll let her introduce you properly." and stepping back. 

Len was stuck. She wanted her Aunt Nell to know her situation, and was proud of her other family, but when it came to it, she was shy of how to express things. She cleared her throat and said " Um, Aunt Nell, this is Ge Kirren, she is my ... my ..." She paused, went red and looked to Ge for guidance. Ge had sized up this woman quite quickly, and felt there was probably no great risk from her, but there were many strangers around, so she gripped Len's hand and finished for her

"... Close friend. These two terrors are my neice and nephew. John and Josie, say hello" 

The twins came forward and stuck hands out to be shaken, then went back behind Ge, finding this stranger quite intimidating. Nell looked at Ge, heard the message behind the 'Close friend' and understood, in way few people do who haven't had to introduce loved ones in that way. She looked at Len and took in the automatic grasp of Ge's hand, and was merciful in not pressing for a more detailed explanation. She smiled at her goddaughter and welcomed Ge with a firm handshake. 

However this new fact about Len meant that Ted Grantley wasn't here with this woman, which had been Nell's first assumption once she realised it wasn't Caroline. Once finished meeting Ge and the twins, she turned her gaze unconsciously onto Ted, not sure if any explanation for her appearance would be forthcoming, or whether to mention anything at all. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Con gulp and step forward to reintroduce Ted as being her as her own "Special Friend", before stepping back, both of them looking nervously at her. Nell mumbled a greeting and shook hands, kicking herself for not realising before. It made sense of various situations between the two over the past few years. She could see the pair were well suited, although it was still hard for Nell to see any of the Triplets as anything other than children so she was almost as embarrassed as they were. 

At least the Reg and Margot situation Nell already knew about, so it was less of a surprise, but she made a note to herself to throttle Joey Maynard when she had a chance. It would have been good to have some pre warning of this situation, some idea of what had obviously been revealed. However as they went on to the Inn, she looked at her friend, and Nell realised that Joey was doing the best that she could, and it hadn't been her secret to tell. So she buried her irritation at being put on the spot, and joined in the bustling of the newcomers forward to see the secret of the Auberge. 

Pressed by the others, she and Joey both yodelled together, and smiled at the fairy tones that returned. Well used to echoes in caves, still the Kirrens were entranced by this one being outside and how it was so effective in changing the sounds. Felix had to be held back from over enthusiastic hitting of the cowbell brought from inside the inn, but overall the secret was shown to great effect. Ge gave a piercing whistle, and smiled at the echo, while slightly sad to know that Timmy would not be hearing the whistle and making his way to her. It had been a hard decision to leave him behind, but he was getting old now, and it would have been a long journey for him. Ge also wanted her parents to be protected just in case there were any villains about. 

The party sat outside the inn chattering, and then made their way back down to the Platz. Nell caught Joey's eye and held back, letting the younger ones go on ahead. 

"An interesting house party" was her only comment, and Joey looked at her sideways before replying. 

"Interesting is the word!" She said with feeling. "I'm sorry Nell, I should have warned you, but I just didn't know how ... Or whether... I just didn't realise how ... How clear the situation might be ... " 

Nell looked ahead and smiled, for it was an unusual group for the traditional Platz. "It's not so obvious as all that," she said as she considered. "Many people would just see them as friends, don't worry too much. I'm... Closer to them, it's different, I'm sure to notice more."

She wished inside that she'd had the confidence to continue that first sentence, to openly acknowledge her own similarity to Joey's daughters. But years of leaving things unsaid were not so easily pushed past, and she changed her statement at the last minute. She felt it likely that Joey suspected, but any official confessions would naturally lead to questions, to implying her great friend Hilda might also be that way inclined. Nell's own feelings for Hilda Annersley were too complicated to put under another's scrutiny. In a strange way Nell also couldn't bring herself to start that conversation even without fearing a bad reaction. She had had to give up years ago on the possibility of being with Hilda, yet to say that outright would make is too permanent, too real. So Nell kept her silence, and moved the conversation on to other topics. Joey didn't feel that she could push any further, although she had often wondered about the pair. 

On the way down, the twins were given permission to go off together again, as long as they were back by teatime. They separated off from the main group, and practiced their tracking each other as secret agents. To the Maynard twins' surprise John and Josie were always able to find them with ease, despite not knowing their surroundings. It wasn't something they could explain, but just knew instinctively how to track someone without being seen. Ge's adventurous youth had made her so many enemies that she had had to teach the twins as many survival and security skills as possible. It had proved necessary, for even without issues with her own enemies, they had started having adventures far younger than even Ge. Her cousin Anne had children now, and they were proving just as able to scent out trouble, as were those of many of her young adventurer friends. The Maynards were good at wilderness skills, but hadn't really had to rely on them for their own safety, so just didn't have the extra awareness they needed. 

Felix and Felicity were surprised. They'd expected to have an advantage, and been prepared to give the others a head start, but swiftly found that they were having to concentrate as hard as they could to keep up. After failing to catch the other two and being caught 3 times very quickly they were getting frustrated. So they were trying to make things as difficult as possible to track them. In the excitement of the game they forgot to pay attention to their route, and did all they could to lose their pursuers. It wasn't until the 5th time that John and Josie appeared grinning that the Maynards realised that they didn't recognize their surroundings at all. The sensible thing would have been to admit this to the other two, for they would probably be able to track backwards. But this would be too much to admit after such a string of defeats from the Kirren twins. So without a word between them Felix and Felicity determined to try to find their way back, not admit that they were lost. John and Josie followed on, caught in the game to the extent that John lost concentration, missed a root sticking out under some leaves and tripped, twisting his ankle and hitting his head in the process. He tried not to show his pain, but it was obvious that they needed to get back. Felix and Felicity were torn, not wanting the others to be angry or scared, and still to begin with kept their silence, forging on as if they knew where they were going. 

After all they would find somewhere they knew sooner or later. Wouldn't they?


	27. Help!

Josie stopped still and stared furiously at Felix and Felicity. "You don't know where we are ? What kinds of idiots ..."

 

Through his throbbing headache, John had the sense to stop her, for even though he wasn't impressed by the situation, Josie losing her temper would only make matters worse. "Right, we need to work out where we are, what time is it?"

They conferred on what time they thought it was, where they were most likely to find a viable path, and after much argument, started off again, heading upwards to begin with, for the Maynards were sure that they would never have got so lost in the areas above the Platz, so they had to be either on the same level or below the level of their home. It was slow going, for John's ankle was beginning to swell, and his head was badly hurting by now. Felicity had strapped his leg as well as she could, but it was still slowing him down hugely.

Just as the light began to fade, they came out onto a better path, and with renewed energy began to make some progress. However Josie was half out of her mind with worry about her brother, and when she saw a path above that seemed familiar, forged ahead to check it out, ignoring Felix and Felicity's warnings about the loose rocks around. All too late she felt the ground shift, a huge rumbling, then for all of them it seems as if the world turned upside down, for everything around them was moving, they were sliding, falling, rolling. Felix caught hold of a tree branch, only to be unsure whether he or the tree, or the earth was moving. He grabbed Felicity's hand, and yelled for her to get hold of the others if she could, but almost instantly he felt the ground move further, and they were tumbling, sliding again, until he felt a tremendous crash, and after a burst of pain, he lost his grip on his sister's hand, and everything went black.

\-------

Ge looked out of the window, frowning slightly. She didn't want to show her irritation with anyone, but she felt constrained and frustrated in this house all of a sudden. Len and her family hadn't been too concerned when the twins hadn't returned when they were supposed to, and Ge felt that she couldn't really make too much fuss. After all, as Len said, it was good that they were having enough fun to lose track of time, hopefully they were becoming real friends already. However Ge couldn't help but worry, her instincts were tingling, suggesting an adventure, and in recent years that usually meant an adventure for the twins or Anne's children, or usually both. Ge felt quite conflicted, for she would never wish her own adventures away, they had made her the person that she was. So she was glad for the twins, that they had those experiences to come, but petrified that they might not be as lucky as she had, that they might get hurt. It made her feel old as well, to see them so thrilled and excited about each new situation. She still loved a mystery, but after so many years of adventures it was a bit of a relief when she realised she was now in "Helpful Guardian" territory, that the adventures were less frequent, less complicated. She was secretly pleased to not be doing things getting stuck in caves or tunnels any more, it had become very wearing after a while.

Worst of all, she knew the dangers of the world the twins lived in, knew how many people were out for revenge against their family, or gossip about her family. The twins laughed the dangers off in the same way that she had as a child, but she understood things much better now, knew how ruthless some criminals could be, and how powerful some of the gangs really were. She couldn't stop the adventures, so the best that she could do was to prepare the twins, and try not to be as overprotective as she really wanted to be. She realised now how difficult it must have been for her own relatives, to know that risk was always around the corner, and the Famous Five would be running right towards it, Ge especially.

This situation with Len's family was quite tough to deal with as well. There were just so many of them ! Even with only some at home the place was full, and it was hard to get any time alone with Len. Ge was trying hard to see a way that she and the twins could live here, but she was overwhelmed by the tiny community, and various 'Aunts' and other honorary relatives popping by every five minutes. Typically of Ge, she hadn't really given Len a chance to say her own preference, and was quite sure that Len would want to come back to Switzerland if at all possible.

As the afternoon faded into early evening, the Maynards started to become worried. Felix and Felicity were hardly little souls, and there was no reason to really expect any problems, but each of the adult family members started to look out of windows, make excuses to go outside, clearly trying not to show alarm. Finally as the evening mealtime neared it was clear that something must be wrong, for the neither sets of twins were likely to miss two meals by choice. The family conferred, and set off in different directions, Joey taking Bruno, and Len haring off to check with any of Felix or Felicity's friends, raising the alarm at the school as she went. Matey immediately began preparations for dealing with the worst, and contemplated keeping Len with her, for the girl looked ashen. Len was kicking herself for not being more concerned earlier, and was deeply ashamed, for she had been distracted, had selfishly enjoyed having Ge's company without the children around for once.

Ge was focused solely now on finding the twins, and wished heartily that she had brought Timmy. She was sure that he would have found them in an instant. Bruno was just too young and excited to really trust his tracking, and Ge had little experience of St Bernards, felt sure that no dog could match Timmy. She was grateful to the family for their search, but it meant that she couldn't even try to track the children herself, for that many people together couldn't help but alter the surroundings. Len in her guilt and confusion had run off without explanation, so she didn't have any idea where the younger woman was either, or what the true risks were, which was just adding to her own rising panic. Ge had heard already of Chalet School girls being lost out here, and the amount of serious injuries, even deaths in these mountains made her blood run cold. She wasn't good at inactivity, but someone had to stay back in case the twins came back, and she knew the others would be far better searching than she, since she didn't know the area. 

\----

Meanwhile, Joey was determinedly keeping Bruno to the task, and having more luck than Ge, or even she herself might have expected, for he had found the older trails quite quickly. Slowly but surely she was following the giant dog in his quest, silently wishing that it was solid dependable Rufus that she was having to rely upon. She was inwardly fuming at Felix and Felicity for causing this problem, for she could see quite early on in the quest that they had strayed into an area totally forbidden to them. The most skilled of navigators could get lost in the densely packed areas Bruno was taking her, and the twins had been told never to come here without an adult who knew the route. Bruno had already worked out that the twins had been going in circles, for he had found several trails of different age, and chosen the strongest and newest one. Not that Joey knew this yet, she was just desperately scanning the surroundings, while muttering darkly of punishments she inflict upon them, while secretly petrified that she would have no chance to do so, for this area was extremely prone to landslides and accidents. When Ted and Con saw her in the distance and came to join her, they looked grave, for several climbers had been seriously injured in this area only the year before.

Suddenly Bruno was whining, pulling on the lead, and to Joey's terror, she heard the sound of cries, earth falling, and felt the rumble of moving ground. Ted and Con weren't far behind her, and raced to her side just as the rumbling stopped. The three of them looked at each other in terror, for Bruno was straining on the lead towards the apparent landslide. They all edged carefully forward, calling out for the twins, and cursing the failing light.

 

\-------

Chapter 14 Finding the twins by Beecharmer  
Author's Notes:  
This update has been an awkward one to write and edit and I hope it works ! Thank you for reading and commenting.

\------

They inched forward, and peered out along the pile of clearly fragile earth and rubble.

"Only a small one, at least" Ted said thankfully, but neither Con or Joey heard her, for as they moved on the figures of the four ten year olds could be seen a few metres below, and both instinctively leapt forward towards them. Ted didn't have time to even shout at them, she grabbed the pair by the backs of their coats and heaved back. Later, she giggled to herself at the mental image. They could only half spin round, as she gripped their clothes, and all of a sudden she had two faces inches from her own on either side. They were both so similar, both shocked by her action and each ready to give her a piece of their mind, that she was momentarily unable to explain herself.

However neither stayed angry for long, as the earth shifted beneath them and made her motives clear.

"Thanks Ted," Joey said, going white as she extricated herself from Ted's grip and stepped back. "We mustn't disturb anything more, they've been very lucky as it is not to be buried; But ... how do we get down to them?"

She was keeping still now and sounding very rational, but the strain in her voice showed that it was a struggle. She wanted to get to her children, and it would be a very hard thing for her to stay immobile for long. Ted looked at her uncertainly. She was shy about having grabbed the older woman, but ready to do the same again if needed.

Con knelt down, looking along the line of the landslide. The twins had been lucky, Josie's actions had only loosened the shale remaining after a previous movement. The flow of the rubble and debris was relatively shallow, and from the look of things most of the earth around was solid. The children appeared to have fallen out of the main flow, and been sheltered in part by a large boulder just above the path. Feeling her way forward, Con was able to work her way around the slide edge and over to the children. Joey wanted to follow her, but Ted instinctively had gone with her, and someone had to hold Bruno back. He'd been very good while tracking, but in the excitement of finding his target, he was wanting to run to the twins, and would certainly disturb everything far more. She called softly to Ted and Con, just in case shouting would risk making things worse.

"Do what you can girls, but be careful, I'll go for help"

She turned, and raced off, Bruno initially in tow, then running beside her. 'Missis does do strange things', he thought, as they pelted along. 'First she wants me to find her puppies, now she's running away from them...' But he knew that this was important, from her frantic movements, so he pulled along beside her and then ahead, which helped her go faster

She thought furiously as she ran, and amended her pelt halfway, heading towards a nearby chalet. She knew this was beyond her and the girls, and wanted the twins to get medical attention as soon as possible. She got through finally to The San, and arranged an ambulance to meet them at the nearest point to the coach road. Straight after that she telephoned the school and asked for Mlle, praying that she was there. The mistress was part of a group of experienced climbers that knew the mountainside inside out. After so many hiking accidents in that area recently, she remembered Mlle saying that the group were planning to make up a rescue team. Now that Joey had time to think, she knew that getting them safely out would be better done by this group than anyone else, so she gabbled the location to Mlle, and then raced back down to the slip site again. She wanted to make sure that nothing more had gone wrong, and to let Ted and Con knew help was on it's way.

Back at the site of the accident, Ted and Con had been relieved to find that all four of the twins appeared to be breathing, and Josie and Felicity at least were starting to wake and looked able to move. They stopped the girls moving too much, as until they'd assessed the situation from this side, it would be safer for all of them to keep still as much as they could. Josie thankfully was out of sight of John, for his leg was at a very awkward angle, and he was still out cold, although seemed to be breathing normally. She'd never have been able to stay still if she had realised how seriously injured John was, but she was groggy enough to obey when told to do no more than sit up, and Ted had the foresight to get her sitting facing away from her brother.

Felicity had tried to stand up, only to melt back down and sit rather suddenly on Con's leg, causing her sister to squawk, before helping the little girl to sit down more comfortably. Felix was barely aware of his surroundings, but he did at least moan when they moved him slightly to check for any serious bleeding. All of the twins had cuts and grazes, but at first glance only the one on John's head seemed to be of any concern. Ted and Con knew better than to try to move him, so did the best they could, mainly covering him to keep warm, then edged over to the others to see what they could do to help keep them safe until help arrived. Thankfully it had been a warm day, so even as the darkness surrounded them, the temperature wasn't too bad.

Joey returned just as Ted was starting to inch her way back around to see what route they could use to get the others out. Knowing that help was on it's way was a relief, and Ted reversed path and worked her way back to Con to tell her the details.

"John's woken up, thank goodness" Con told her on her return, slight tremble in her voice the only indication of her worry. "He didn't try to move, but he nodded when I asked if he could hear me. He's going to be the main one I think we need to watch."

Ted told her the rescue plan in low tones, and she nodded, glad that it seemed as though help would not be far away. They did what they could, keeping all of the twins as still as possible, and most importantly keep John and Felix awake, for both of them had clearly hit their heads badly. Con was a little confused by how quickly John's head wound seemed to have started to clot and heal, until Josie remembered her brother with a "John ! His head! John, are you ok?". The little girl was nearly beside herself with worry when John didn't reply, and it was all that Ted could do to keep her from whirling around to try to get up and find him. When she was calm enough to explain, Josie told them about the original accident, and being lost. She tapered off towards the end, blinked fiercely, then looked Con in the eyes, admitting that she had rushed on ahead and caused the landslide. Felix and Felicity had warned them of the risks, she said, shamefacedly, but she'd forgotten. She'd been so desperate to get home as soon as possible that she had refused to listen when they called her back. Ted and Con felt sorry for her, she so clearly blamed herself, but they didn't really know her well enough to offer more than a hug and a reassurance that they would all be rescued soon.

Joey meanwhile had tied Bruno to a nearby tree and told him to wait. She already couldn't see well enough to get to the others, and realised someone needed to stay on this side of the slip to direct the rescuers. It was one of the hardest things for her to do, have to stay away from her children, who were clearly hurt and in danger, but Joey Maynard had plenty of will power and common sense, and she wasn't going to risk any of them by disturbing the earth any further. She busied herself in searching out light coloured stones, and marking the edge of the landslip while there was still enough light to see. She knew that Ted at least had a torch with her, and the rescuers would bring more. She wanted to start a fire, if nothing else it would cheer them all up; But it would be far too dangerous at this stage of summer, and in these enclosed conditions. She hoped that the white or light stones would at least reflect back some kind of marker when light shone on them, and it was something to do to keep herself occupied.

Once that was done, she moved well away from the slip edge. She could see her activity alone was risking those in the little hollow below. So she sat close to Bruno, put her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his side, gaining strength from him as well as warmth. She jumped, as she felt a tentative tap on her shoulder. Ted stood before, her, holding out her electric torch tentatively.

"Con has one, and Josie has a small one too" she said "It won't be long now before it's too dark for me to come back up without risking disturbing, and you need to be able to show the others where the danger area is. Will you be ok Aunt J... Mrs Maynard?" Ted stumbled over her words, in part though nerves, but also emotion; She had argued with Con before setting off, since she wanted Ted to stay with her mother, although she admitted later that that was because she wanted Ted at least to be out of harms way. Ted could see the worry and tension in Con's face, and was determined that to stay with her and the children, no matter what the risks were. However, Ted knew Joey was under great strain too, and she was torn about what was best for everyone. Joey knew nothing of this, but could see the girl hesitating and unsure of how to act with her. Being Joey, she couldn't see anyone be unsure and over formal like that without action. She accepted the torch, put it to one side, then grasped the surprised Ted in a hug.

"Thanks Ted. They are all in good hands with you. Now go and give that hug to my Con, and keep safe, all of you." She released Ted and turned away, hiding her face. Her work on the edge of the slip had brought home to her that finding the children was only half the battle. They would need to be moved, and the earth was anything but stable around here. Now she not only had the four ten year olds down there, but Con as well, and Ted was about to put herself back in harms way.

The girl had spent as much time as possible with the Maynards, since her home life was anything but welcoming, and now Joey thought about it, she really had felt almost like another adoptee until the opening up of the situation with Con made them all reassess things and become shy around each other. Ted's actions in immediately helping rescue the children, and the way the girls worked together as a team dispelled any minor doubts that she had about the pair being suited. Joey wasn't about to let the girl put herself in danger and not show her feelings. Her words followed Ted down as she made the slow descent again.

"I really think you can call me Joey, you know, Ted. You are part of the family after all...." which made Ted forget for a moment where she was and want to rush back up again, for this was so much more acceptance than she'd expected, even from Joey.

Ted was very sensitive to people's feelings, after so many years of irrational rages from her mother and indifference or disgust from others. She'd been aware of the hesitation on both Jack and Joey's part when around her, and been trying not to let it upset her. Joey's words were as welcome as they were unexpected and made her eyes sting with tears momentarily. After a few fierce blinks however, she set her mind to her task, and made it back to the little group in the flow of the landslide just as the light level became too low to see her way safely. She and Con settled down with the children, keeping them talking, making sure that no one was getting too cold or needing further first aid.

The darkness closed around them and the little group waited for rescue, those aware of the danger trying their very best not to think about it, and saving their energy for the effort that would surely be needed once the rescue team arrived. Up above, Joey cuddled close to Rufus, and wondered what was taking so long. The possibility that the climbers might not know exactly where to find them occurred to her, and she did the only thing she could thing of, to calm her own nerves, and indicate their position. Her voice was strong, sweet and reassuring; cut through the darkness, and her singing helped the time to pass, and the worries to fade just a little bit. Little bits of earth still shifted nearby, and it was a nervous time for them all until finally a "Here, they are here!" was heard, and the rescue could be begun.

\--------

Author's Notes:  
Thank you all for sticking with this and still reading and commenting. I'm dying to get this all wrapped up and sorted, so I can get back to School of Adventure, but this little side story seems deterimined to continue !!

\----------

 

Con felt a huge sense of relief when she heard the climbers arrive, and grinned at Ted, only to have her frown gradually return as the time ticked past. Despite muttered sounds from above and intermittent stones whizzing past them, no one came towards the little group at all. The light was almost gone by now, and they understood the climbers caution, but there seemed to be a much longer gap than either of them had expected.

Felicity tried a few times to stand up, starting to panic that her balance was totally gone, and slipped over, landing heavily against Con, dislodging stones off into the darkness and frightening herself enough to make her stay still. John was still, but Felix was getting restless. He tried to move and ended up in tears with the pain, to his intense shame, and turned his head away from the others, trying to hide his face. Ted shone a light near enough to catch Con's own expression and they passed an unspoken message between them. There wasn't anything they could do if the rescue was to be slow or dangerous, so they set themselves to distract the children, pushing aside their own concerns to one side as much as they could.

As the night began to have a bit more of a chill to the air, the little group edged closer together to keep warm, and Felicity shuffled over to sit on her sister's lap, dozing against her in a way she hadn't for years. Neither of the boys were unable to move much, but at least Felix was answering. John was a far greater worry, for he was back in unconsciousness now, and Ted and Con had had to give up trying to get him to respond, since it did no good, and they needed to keep the others calm. They told the children to be quiet because he was sleeping, and just kept checking his breathing, which at least stayed regular and level.

Josie was a different concern, for she looked terrible, grazed and cut all over, but was actually less injured than the others. She'd fallen a little higher up, and on looser ground. While she was still slightly shocked and shaken she was happy enough to stay still; As the time went on, her natural need to be active was her worst enemy. Ted kept having to patiently talk her out of stirring, and distract her, keeping a constant eye on the 10 year old. Josie listened to begin with, then suddenly realised that Con was trying to get John to wake, and couldn't. All her common sense left her, and she stood, trying to move over to his side, skidding and disturbing another small slip to one side, and spilling small stones over the others in the process.

Finally she really understood why she couldn't move, these adults did have a reason, they weren't just keeping her from John. Ted and Con saw the strength of the little girl's character then, for she was never normally still for long, but she held herself tightly in check. If they'd been close enough they would have seen the effort involved, and the tears that she couldn't stop, but she was so determined to control her body as much as she possibly could. She searched for a way to control her fears for John, and calm her shaking, sure that even those little movements might risk the others. Timmy came to her mind, and she imagined herself playing hide and seek in the caves at Kirren, Timmy lying by her side in the sand, and staying as still as she on command. More than once he'd woken her just before the others found her, and she imagined him lying next to her, warm, secure and protecting, one ear always open for any sounds that might be important. She half dozed in the end, which at least made her efforts that little bit easier. Ted was able to relax her vigilence slightly, and move to John's side, telling Con to have a rest for a bit, she would watch him.

Still the rescue team seemed to be no where near coming towards the little group. Without Josie to worry about and trying to wake John, Con had her own battle to keep herself still, for her imagination was her worst enemy. She was becoming convinced that the climbers were not coming, might even have to wait for daylight to get to them, or worse, that they didn't wait, and triggered a major slide covering all of them. Strange noises, probably natural to the nighttime in her rational mind, became piles of rock ready to bury them all, and every natural shifting of the others around her felt as though it might set things off.

Ted gave her a sidelong glance, and wished she could take her into her arms and get rid of that terrible paleness and tension. She'd passed back and forth more times than Con, and knew the earth was still loose near the slip site. The rescue team had a difficult task in front of them and in a way she welcomed their delay, for it suggested that they were experienced enough to know when caution was the best course of action. The waiting without knowing was hard for all of them, but she trusted that Mrs Maynard would be watching out for them above, and knew that until they heard otherwise they had to keep to their safe position, however slowly the time was seeming to pass.

It felt like hours before there was a scattering of stones, and slight shifting of rubble beside them. The pair of them were almost ready to hug Mlle when she arrived, and she on her part took in the tiredness of the twins, and Con's almost glowing white face and tried to inject her voice with a note of confidence she really didn't feel. She explained quietly to them that despite this one being a small slip, the team had found a far greater mass of loose earth just above and to one side and were having to work their way around from the opposite side, and assess a possible route from below. One or two people passing over the ground was one thing, but to move the stretchers that at least John and Felix would require was too great an instability to be sure of the effect. They just couldn't risk a misstep at this level triggering anything worse. Con and Ted nodded agreement, and told Mlle about Felicity's balance problems, suggesting that she too probably needed to be carried out. Mlle listened carefully and as soon as another of the rescue team came into sight, she passed on the information to them.

They began with Josie, she was able to comprehend and also move herself, and once she was safely on her way, Ted along with her, there was room for more of the rescue team to come into the more protected hollow to assess the others. John proved the hardest to move, for as soon as they lifted him, he cried out and fainted, becoming a dead weight half on and off the stretcher. Josie heard the cry, spun round back to try to get towards him, and refused to listen to reason, having to be picked up and carried by one of the rescue team to stop her panicked return.

Slowly, carefully the team worked, with every step measured and planned, until finally only Con and Mlle remained. They made their way along, inching despite every part of them wanting to stride, get away and safe back to solid ground. Ted waited white faced at the edge of the slip, and grabbed hold of Con, all thought of propriety and those around them forgotten. Once into the beam of the rescuers' lights, she'd seen what had caused the delay. The loose earth above had shifted dramatically since she had last seen it, and the little group would surely have been buried in an instant if anything had gone wrong.

For a few moments they held each other close, Ted rambling about never letting Con go again, before a gentle hand on their shoulders from Mlle reminded them that they still had a little way to go. They followed the others almost blindly through the trees to the road, and were packed into the Maynard's car, driven home by a white faced Stephen, who thankfully asked nothing more of them than to hold on tight. It wasn't until they reached Freudesheim that they realised that the twins had all been taken to the school san, and were being looked after there, in part because there were no free beds at the main San. The pair were grabbed and hugged over and over by Joey, and clucked over by Anna, then bundled off to bed 'Almost as if we were twelve!' Con said when she thought about it later.

In all the relief of getting home, it wasn't until the next day that anyone registered that they'd automatically both been sent to bed in Ted's room, no one even thought of keeping them separated. Since no one commented, there they stayed for the rest of the trip and all future visits. Joey worried slightly when she realised, but was loath to wake them up, finding them fast asleep the next day, wrapped tightly around each other. She wondered how Jack might react, and was prepared to explain her decision, but all he said when he looked in on the sleeping pair was that at least being with Ted might make Con less likely to sleepwalk. 

It didn't solve the difficulty of setting examples to the younger children and the possible unfairness of Margot not being able to be with Reg, but her youngest Triplet seemed to see the situation as different herself, and in the end they all had far more important things to think about, so Joey didn't press the matter, resolving that if the pair remained a couple, she would let Len decide whether and when to stay with Ge.


End file.
